evolt.org - Three and a Bit Years On

Posted on May 05, 2002

in Commentary & Society

by William Anderson (neuro)

Rated 3.68 (Ratings: 6) (Add your rating)

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William Anderson

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User since: April 26, 1999

Last login: August 13, 2008

Articles written: 2

I was just updating my w.e.o. account, when I suddenly noticed I'd registered on the site literally just over three years ago, not long after evolt.org came about. Three years is a long time for any online community to still be in existence, and I thought it'd be interesting to reflect on what's gone by, and to ponder on what's to come.

About A Site

The initial coming about and history of evolt.org is well documented, but I suppose I'm more interested in the way a lot of people felt — about the changes at Webmonkey, about the construction of a new community, and about the development of — what I consider to be — an exciting portal for like-minded web developers.

evolt-ution

Looking back at evolt.org's ... evolution (sorry, I had to say it), it's incredible to think this has all arisen from some people disgruntled at the way Wired Digital were attempting to treat their mailing list subscribers. Hard work, perserverance, and sheer bloody-mindedness has paid off in evolt.org, and I for one am glad to be a part of it.

I look at thelist, and I look at Monkeyjunkies, and the difference is marked. The tailoff in postings to Monkeyjunkies is plainly obvious, and it seems that there is a fraction of the originality and spark as compared to thelist. Perhaps when the original evolters flew away from Monkeyjunkies, they took the best of the list with them.

And to the future? Well, I know there are expansions afoot to evolt.org, which I think will enhance the "community" aspect even further, but perhaps newer or expanding technology will aspire us to further breakthroughs. I don't just mean gimmicks like evolt.org on a PDA or a WebTV (sorry, MSN® TV), I mean more effective use of IRC or VoIP, greater use of — and perhaps even contributions towards — new Web standards, and even just simpler ways to organise evoltathons :)

Your Turn

So what do you think? This is where the comment box below comes in handy, and is the prime reason behind my posting this article.

What have been the highlights (and maybe lowlights) of the past three years on evolt.org? Is there any one event or article or comment that stuck in your mind, or perhaps something you or someone else built as part of the site that you feel has benefited the site and the community greatly? Was there a point when you thought building evolt.org as it is now wasn't achievable?

And looking forward, where do you see evolt.org moving? Will it expand or contract? What technologies are on the horizon that we could embrace? Think outside the box - let your creative juices loose!

At the end of the day, evolt.org is a community of people - it is what is made of it. As I said, three years is a hell of a long time for an online community to stay around. I wonder how much longer we can keep it going? <picard> Let's see what's out there. </picard>

Member #30 of evolt.org, neuro has been designing, building and maintaining web sites and servers since 1995, and currently works for Linden Lab, creators of virtual world Second Life. neuro is also actively involved with evolt.org, currently doing evil things to browsers.evolt.org, aka beo.

Home is a three bedroom mid-terrace just outside Glasgow, although one of the "bedrooms" is now the Technology Containment Zone ™ — which is not related to Telehouse :)

In his spare time, neuro enjoys driving, bowling, eating, movies, destroying the evil minions of the underworld, drinking, breathing, photoshopping, buying obscure technical and/or Japanese magazines, and eliminating world poverty in his house.

8 comments on this article. Log in to add your comment | Rate this article:

A highlight and the future

Submitted by isaac on May 7, 2002 - 19:31.

I think this link demonstrates the power of evolt.org. That an article on our site, and written by one of our members, can sit at the top position of the top search engine in a search for one of the buzzwords of the last couple of years, is some proof of how respected evolt.org has been as a community.

As for the future, I'd really like to see us doing more to increase the respect the wider community has for web developers. Currently, we seem to be viewed as cut-price, per-page, waste-media monkeys. evolt.org could do something that shows the business world (and beyond) that the web can be a valid medium, that web developers can do a great deal to enhance its value to business, etc. This could be done using community and school programs (voluntary) or guerilla marketing campaigns (somehow!).

What about this?

Submitted by haidary on May 9, 2002 - 01:55.

Not to put down this artical by any means because I think you did a great job of bringing the old (Evolt.org respectively) to the surface, but I think that all should use the address W3C. If you type in http://www.w3.org, yeah it takes you to the same place, but the meaning's not associated with it.. World Wide Web Consortium. http://www.w3c.org

Re: What about this?

Submitted by neuro on May 10, 2002 - 03:53.

Type http://www.w3c.org/ into your browser - you'll be 30x redirected to http://www.w3.org/

I don't see the point in using the address that the W3 themselves have migrated away from!

Evolt on a PDA

Submitted by MartinB on May 10, 2002 - 05:19.

Already there, mate.

Jeff put it together some 18 months ago - it's a special output template for that format, and works a treat.

Re: Evolt on a PDA

Submitted by neuro on May 10, 2002 - 05:35.

mmm, saucy!

Technology is nice, but...

Submitted by mwarden on May 11, 2002 - 10:46.

While I don't really consider evolt.org to be on the "cutting edge" (whatever that is - it sounds dangerous) of technology, I also think we've brought a lot of innovative (but painfully simple) ideas to web development already. I'm not sure more technology is the answer to a proliferation of evolt.org.

What's slowing us down now has to do with people. I'm not talking about individuals, but our "administration" in general. I don't know if it's the structure or the people themselves or some bombardment of cosmic rays that's causing mutations (sorry, the Picard reference affected me). But, it seems wrong to me that the real body of evolt.org (the members) is being held back by an administrative body (of which I was/am a member and am equally responsible). Something needs to change on that end. Unfortunately, we've been saying that for a while and it's been difficult getting anything off the ground.

But, if you separate that bit from the rest of evolt.org, I do feel like we've grown in one very important way. Our membership continues to become enriched. There's a shift with the creation of content on this site. Over the last three years, it's changed from being almost completely generated by the original administrative creators to being almost completely written by members (not that there is really a difference, but I think you get what I'm trying to say). And the growth in that area doesn't seem to cease. Hell, right now we've got an amazing series of articles on content management written by a member. I do believe that is a first and that the only series written before that was djc's "spiderts" article. It surely is a first to have 4-5 parts. I think series like that rock and I hope that this just isn't a fluke. If we ever have magazine-type columns at evolt.org, I will kiss my monitor. Twice.

Re: tech is nice

Submitted by luminosity on May 11, 2002 - 20:23.

> If we ever have magazine-type columns at evolt.org, I will kiss my monitor. Twice.

Yummy. Now if we do create some we're gonna need some proof, Matt. ;)

evolt

Submitted by Junglee on May 12, 2002 - 11:36.

mwarden :

Hey man , you mention something about cosmic rays ... i dont know what you mean , maybe you admin guys have some political problems , i really dont know ... but i just have this to say about evolt :

this is one of the very few sites where i actually have fun ;) everyday with some learning thrown in , there has always been something very 'friendly' about evolt , an element which is missing in so many other sites.

i dont think it would be so - if not for the people running the site - so maybe all that cosmic radiation is actually good ?!

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