Evolt Org Three And A Bit Years On

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>