Ten Years of CAA

[Swordguy]

So In a Few days i till have signed up with CAA ten years ago. So i am creating this thread to remember all the good times.

I remember first signing up for an aim bible study, which was great and stayed for the peoples.

I met great people, including the woman i am now married with.

Post any awesome memories you have this place all you old and new peps

[ClosetOtaku]

Awesome memories? You bet. I've met several people on this board (mostly at Otakon). Some really great folks out there. I've corresponded extensively with others even though I've never met them in person.

I think that, overall, CAA has had a positive influence in my life.

But I also think there's time for sober reflection.

Here are some interesting numbers directly and indirectly related to your 10th anniversary (which happens to occur one day before mine...).

5 out of 6 people who have signed up for CAA signed up after you did.

5 out of 6 people who signed up for CAA BEFORE you did are no longer active (i.e. they have not logged in for over 6 months).

28% of people who have accounts have never posted anything. The median number of posts is 15. 78% of users have fewer than 100 posts. 94% of CAA members have fewer posts than you.

Most users who never post simply register and sign in, then never sign in again. A small sampling suggests that for those who do log in again leave permanently after about two weeks.

Of the members who have more posts than you, about two-thirds are no longer active.

You are among the few -- very few -- who have stuck with the site over a 10-year period. There is truth in the saying "the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long": some people who have dropped thousands of posts have flamed out in just a couple years, never to return. It's the dynamics of message boards, yet I never quite get over it. Lives change. Interests change. People become distracted, disinterested, disappointed, disillusioned. You are still here.

CAA goes on. For how long, it is hard to say. I've watched anime fandom go from a relatively obscure fascination to a mainstream fad, then watched it crash and burn spectacularly, only to rise again from the ashes. Based on the comments of some of those who were leaders here a decade ago, CAA too has had its zenith and nadir. Many of the stalwarts are gone, saying, "The site has changed," and "it's not what it once was".

Nothing is ever as it used to be. There seems no temporal place of permanence. But we have that longing programmed into us, it seems. An accident of evolution, or a purposeful design element meant for us to desire a place of shelter and fellowship? I choose the latter.

CAA is a way station (Webster: a place where people can stop for rest, supplies, etc., during a long journey). Some of the travelers have already left. Others stick around, some to operate and support it, others to watch what happens and contribute a thought now and then (that's you and me, my friend). I miss some of the people who have left, not so much others. The feelings may be mutual, and that is life.

I hope you have had a fun ten years, I know I have.

[Swordguy]

Indeed i have, I have found myself staying the chat now and less on the forums.

Those are some crazy stats. I know i used to post alot more back when, well i was in school. When in class with nothing to do, CAA was there. Now life, work, friends, make it harder. But i do try to come and see what was going on now and then. Like i said before, mostly in the chat. I think it is because it is easier to pop into the chat and say hi than read the throught all the forums again. A daunting task that be.

Though i will say it surprises me how many people are still left from what i knew from ten years ago. Ten years is a long time, and as we mention times changed. Change is a good thing, but that doesn't mean it can't be sorrowful as well. We love the past, liven in the present, and must long for the future. Through all of that change must happen.

So hello, and once again i thank everyone i met in the long time i have been hyper active, and then lurking.

[Xeno]

I just realized I missed my 10 year account anniversary two weeks ago. Here's to a decade of membership, even though I've been active for only about 4.5 years of it.

[Swordguy]

i feel like only those who have been here for ten years post on this thread, maybe i named it wrong

[Kilvakar]

I had no idea this site has been around that long! I'm glad to be a part of it, and I wonder if I'll be posting in a thread like this ten years in the future? Who knows...

[ClaecElric4God]

Well, as a "new" peeps, I feel the need to contribute to this thread.

CAA has been...so many different things in the year (and a half?) that I've been active here. The primary word I'd use to describe it is crazy. My most prominent memories are of the insanity that can ensue in the chatroom, with the right weather conditions.

As my first form of internet socialization, CAA introduced me to a lot of things. MMO's, Bible studies, prayer groups, advice and counsel from so many different angles, and really just a greater understanding of people outside my tiny little circle at home (socially inept homeschooler that I was).

Like Ordg said, I've met people I wouldn't trade for the world. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but I feel like some of my "online" friendships are far stronger than a lot of the "real life" ones I've had (not the past tense). And I don't think it's necessarily the real life vs. online. There are just some awesome people that I never would have met otherwise, that I've really grown close to and can't imagine losing touch with.

I've had more opportunity to grow and help others grow as Christians here at CAA than in most of my life outside of it. I've found myself going to Scripture and strengthening my walk with God as a result of coversations or discussions with the people here at CAA quite often, and looking back I'm overwhelmed and grateful for the growth. And I love the opportunity to be an encouragement to others.

And, well, now I'm rambling. I've not been around too long, so the memories are all kind of packed into a small timeframe, but they've been amazing all the same, and I look forward to making more and, who knows, maybe being able to look back down the road in 8 years or so just as much a part of CAA as I am now.

[SilverToast]

Thanks for posting the statistics Sheenar ClosetOtaku! I'm new, but I still find them very intersting.

Edit:
I have no idea how I mistaked your username and avatar for those of Sheenar. Sorry ClosetOtaku.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Wow. It'll be 10 years for me in August. The heck???

[TheAlbinoMoose]

Those statistics are interesting!
I've only been here for five months, but I plan on sticking around for a while. Yep, ya better get used to Moose.

[Zarn Ishtare]

What am I at, anyway? Eight years or something?


Edit: Nope, ten years for me too. Man. I miss the old days, and we had our good times, and I ghost this site to post and read poetry, but yeah. It's been a good run for me.

[Swordguy]

Isn't it strange, i was looking at my profile and bam, i was like wow ten years. Life has been crazy, and mine has definitely been touched by the people i met here over the years.

but it probably is that way for most of us ten year olds, we just ghost on here posting now and then. myself i ghost the chat these days

[Furen]

28% of people who have accounts have never posted anything. The median number of posts is 15. 78% of users have fewer than 100 posts. 94% of CAA members have fewer posts than you.
Of the members who have more posts than you, about two-thirds are no longer active.
some people who have dropped thousands of posts have flamed out in just a couple years, never to return.

Winning
Though, do I count as active? I'm here more than twice a year, but I've definitely dropped the frequency of visiting

[S.M.O.G.]

I've been on-and-off here, so my memories aren't as... many as some of you guys'. I joined five years ago, but never got super involved in the community. I went through a period of a couple years (actually probably most of those five) where I might check in once every few months, but never did anything. I introduced my brother to the site and he's much more active than I am. I returned sometime earlier this year. and still haven't been super active in the forums, but I pop into the chat every once in awhile. I have been intending to get integrated into things here, because this place is much... healthier than other forums where I waste my time. While I may not have any super memorable moments from CAA itself, this is the only place online where I've truly made friends. People I actively spend time talking to and playing games with outside of the site itself. So while I'm not the most active user here, I have gotten a lot more from this site than I ever thought I would five years ago. So here's to another great decade for the CAA.

[shooraijin]

I'm old.

[Swordguy]

your not old, your just not young anymore

[uc pseudonym]

Ten years is a long time. It's definitely worth the reflection.

[Sheenar]

It's been almost 9 years for me (9 years on Aug 5). Crazy how I was in my 2nd year of college when I joined --and how much things have changed since then.
I regret not being more active --but such is life. CAA is still a home to me --full of great people. So many have become like family.