AudiogoN Inception Date?


Panning through old threads, I noticed a few members as early as late 98/early 99.

Emailed service a while back no answer, figured if anyone should know, they would.

When did all this start and who was the first poster(s)?
128x128rx8man
I have been on Agon since late '97. Back then their was Agon, audio web and audio shopper. I went by a different moniker and Agon was alive and well and free in 1997.
I also joined on 12/31/1969. I was 11 years old but remember the day very well. It was a day like no other....
10-15-14: Jadem6
This may have been the dirty dozen. Jmcgroan2 were you one?

Not I JD, I didn't enlist until September 2000.
JD:

Scratch me from the list as I probably didn't post until 1999 (deleted my account @ some point and then reinstated it maybe in 2000).

I recall (though my memory of A'Gon originally being a male nurse chatroom may be incorrect;-) other names...

-David99 (a pioneer running 805's with, @ some point, an Aleph 30).

-Kublakahn (love me some Dennis).

-Sam from NYC (always attempting to properly power PSB Silver/Goldi's).

-Sedond with interesting gear @ the time (Audio Alchemy for example).

Think Cornfed/Kelly came a bit later, but his Scotch propelled alter ego late night Sluggo posts were both harmless & hilarious (a fine line to toe online).

I'm allowed to post anything @ A'Gon only because one of the staff has a cyber crush on me being that I'm rich, famous and extremely sexy in real life (she figured out who really I am).
I joined in 2005 and learned a lot on this forum.
Here is a very recent thread where AlbertPorter lists many old time audiogoners:

Old Time Audiogoners
This may have been the dirty dozen. Jmcgroan2 were you one?
Trelja
Redkiwi
Dekay
Albertporter
Cornfedboy
Gregm
Sean
Bob_bundus
Garfish
Tvad
Ozzy
Jadem6
Jmmcgrogan, you're just being too paranoid, what's wrong with you! Getting our credit cards on file is somehow a "benefit" for users or has that facade finally faded? I certainly would hate to see agon getting shortchanged on their cut, I get that, but you ain't getting my CC info on your file.

You guys better figure something else out. There is no way, no how going forward I am going to risk my credit/personal information to online vendors for their/my convenience ESPECIALLY in light of the recent breaches with some of the major league players. There is no sanctuary anywhere in the cyberworld we live in today. You better figure out a better way, that model is dead and you're too late to the game to start playing. I'm already concerned about my Amazon account and have considered changing CC's to avoid any potential problems in the future.
10-15-14: Jadem6
It must have been around 2002 or 03 that Arnie sold the business to investors, that was when ad fees came into place. They have increased ever since and have driven a few of us away from the site.

Thanks for the history lesson JD. I remember when they first started charging fees. It was still a great place for a long time.

I am one of those who have been driven away. I won't give them my credit card for their file, not after all of the Target, Home Depot, etc., scandals.

I can no longer access my home page, but occasionally I can still sneak into the forums to post. I'm sure one day that loophole will be closed too. Arrivederci AudiogoNe
Audiogon was founded in 1996 by Arnie and a couple investors. The site became very successful, but the forums became quite a problem for the monitor or lack thereof. In about 1998 or Â’99 they shut the site down completely for a few weeks. They contacted twelve of the most active members (the dirty dozen), I unfortunately do not remember who all was part of that.

Anyway, we as a group re-organized the forums to be close to what they are now. Prior to that is was crazy, we tried a huge number of different ideas, all that made things worse.

It must have been around 2002 or 03 that Arnie sold the business to investors, that was when ad fees came into place. They have increased ever since and have driven a few of us away from the site. Despite the crazy fee structure and the complete lack of trust in their members, Audiogon is still a great site with an active selling site as well as forum.

JD
Your'e welcome RX8.

David99 and I both forgot to mention that the site's first name was AudioNoggin, which was soon shortened to AudioNog.

Einar, one of the site's originators who's name was really Arnie, then changed it to AudioGon (for obvious reasons;-).
Dekay- Retired nurse now ! I remember when ads were free and no moderation at all. Wild times !
Audiogon started up in December of 1998.

It was originally intended to be a hang out site for male nurses with slight to moderate speech impediments.

David99 (male nurse with clicking jaw syndrome) mentioned picking up a pair of B&W 805's and the rest is history.
My profile says that I joined 12/31/69. I think that it was actually around 1998, but I was also visiting the site for a while before I joined. Where is the moderator?
10-13-14: Czarivey
Yep, we're all just visitors here...
I think "We are all just prisoners here of our own device"

10-14-14: Ebm
I stay up nights thinking about this.
LOL!! :-D
Inception?

Is this where the site starts folding in on itself?
That top won't stop spinning on my table.
One of the early members of Agon.

David99
Posting since Dec, 1998 Membership Private user

.


"You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave!"

Looks like we're stuck here whether we like it or not :-)
I've been a member since 12/01/01 and I know Audiogon was around for a while before then. Don't know the exact date but 1998 sounds reasonable. Maybe someone knowledgeable will pipe in.
Here is an enduring thread from January 2001:

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&978488055&openfrom&421&4&&st0
I think that 12/31/1969 date is a bug from when the A'gon upgrade happened a couple of years ago. It appears on certain screens. When I looked up Rx8man in this section of Audiogon: Home > Learn > Member lookup the Active Since Date is:08-19-02

I found this from doing some searching. Can't verify it is true or not though.

Created: 1998-05-14

http://website.informer.com/audiogon.com
When Audiogon redid their system a few years ago, (remember
that debacle?) all of us that have been on here since around
the beginning, had all of our inception dates changed to
12/31/1969. Don't know why, but that's what happened.
1969? Isnt that before Internet? Maybe that would be a good question, what came first, internet or Audiogon?
Searched my own username and found this:

Rx8man
Joined 12/31/1969, this sorta narrows it down.
This facebook page provides much of the answer.

https://www.facebook.com/audiogon/info

The owner of Accutronics was Arnie {surname?]. He sold me the Cary and the ProAc that I still have.