I would luv to know the history of this great site?

[rawhide1]

I just want to say hey to everyone and I hope ya'll are doing fine. And I was wondering how this site got started. I would luv to know the history of this great site. I'm not a computer guy by any means as a matter of fact I hate the things and think they will be the ruin of all things that are good. But I must admit this is a great site and I spend a lot of time on it. Much to the amazement of my wife and I'm not even looking at nasties. So if anyone can help me out it would be much appreciated. Thanks Mike

And I would like to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone that keeps it running!!!

[freak]

Read this thread right here

[rawhide1]

Freak

Thank You very much for leading me to that thread. Mike

[Johanna]

Hmmm... Once upon a time I was asked to be the webmaster for a Very Big Leather Guild (VBLG). To make a long story short, they fired me a couple of times. One of the problems I tried to address during my brief tenure as their webmaster was that the guild had outgrown Yahoo's mailing lists, and that Yahoo had lots of limitations. I don't think that they believed there was a better way to do things? A few people encouraged me to just do it anyway, so I bought an IPB license and scribbled the forum outline on the back of somebody's homework. Holly, ClayB, Kate, Bruce and Art must have rolled their eyes, but they have lent their dedicated assistance since we first went online.

I was "banned for life" from the VBLG at the beginning of this year for posting a direct link to Clay's first figure carving tutorial on the Yahoo guild list. It was called "spam". (VBLG will not link to this site to this day because they say they can't be sure leatherworker.net is "family friendly.") I don't know what the VBLG is up to these days, but we dwarf them in size, and are richer in content. We offer selective reading, and there is no obligation to chip into the kitty, though donations are welcome. This makes leatherworking information available to anyone that's interested, and I'm pleased about that. What makes this site so great is all the fantastic people that are here, sharing what they know, sharing what they did, and having a good time.

If you belong to the VBLG, mention my name or this site to stir up excitement. You will probably be moderated or have your posts deleted, and if you complain, you might get banned for life, too! But only do it to entertain yourself. I have no beef with 99% of the VBLG's members. Why should I? Those folks are here, some in disguise, eating doughnuts, swapping stories and meeting new friends.

I am forever indebted to the site's staff, ambassadors and members for all the things they do to make this place run smoothly and keep all the guns in their holsters. The people here make this board special. It's an honor to keep the coffee fresh and the lights on.

Johanna

[wolvenstien]

Hell... my guns were taken away from me for being too itchy on the trigger.... Love to both ya....

This place would not be here without Johanna.... Dont let her fool ya... she is just too modest is all....

[Mike Craw]

Let's see...being banned for life from a site that's smaller than this one that doesn't have the knowledge base and couldn't possibly have so many knowledgeable and incredibly helpfull people? Yeah, I think I'll risk it!

I agree that Johanna being too modest is an understatement! "So I bought an IPB license and scribbled the forum outline on the back of somebody's homework." That's like me saying, "So I bought a used sparkplug and some copper wire and made a DVD player!" I'm amazed that I can even read and post emails. I even found the new area. Can't get into it, but I found it! Now, if I could just find those donuts everybody keeps talking about.

Thank you Johanna!!!

Mike

Edited November 29, 2007 by Mike Craw

[abn]

You know, there's an awful lot that I appreciate about this site, but one of the bigger things was the decision to keep the main board family friendly. Granted, there's a flourishing industry in adult leather products, and having a special area dedicated to that is important. But having the adult section opt-in was one of the great decisions made here.

Given this fact, I find it hard to believe that "VBLG" isn't sure whether we're family friendly...

[Johanna]

What Alex means is that there is an adult area on this board, but you have to request it to be visible to you. About half of our members "see" the adult section. It's not a particularly busy part of the board, and the jokes are really baaaad, but it neatly holds anything that some folks might find offensive. If you want access, just send me a PM that says, ummm..."Turn me on!"

LOL

Johanna

[CitizenKate]

I don't know if very many people noticed, but leatherworker.net passed the 1000 member mark on November 21st. Congratulations, Johanna - well done!

Empower the members, and there is no telling what explodes in your face.

Kate

[Washroad]

I don't post a lot here. I haven't figured out how to post a pic yet, I think it's 'cause I use Firefox and the digital camera is in the motorhome with dead batteries (yeah, I'm on top of things alright!), but I come in here at least once a day when I'm home and not doing honey-do's and just look at stuff, read how to do things and enjoy the comraderie here!

I looked for a long time to find a website just like this.....how's that? Just like this one! Why look for one just like this when this one is here? I'm rambling, it's early, it's cold here and my leather is in the garage and the dogs are sleeping in front of my bench and won't leave and they act like they're gonna bite me if I try to move them....

I have some hot coffee :coffee: , and I'm trying to find a donut that no dogs have been near! or at least some that maybe could pass for not having any dogs around....

This is a wonderful place!

[Johanna]

Posting pics is easy. Either click "new topic" to start a thread, or "post reply" to answer one. Scroll underneather the message area to "browse" and locateyour attachment. Then click upload. The page will wink and refresh. Pictures are automatically resized by the forum software. To remove an attachment, use the drop down arrow of choices under "manage attachments".

I love this place, too! There are some terrific people here, and lots of chances to learn something.

Johanna