The creator of metafilter (mathowie himself) was developing a website (bioweb) for the science imprint of Harcourt Brace where I worked as a web designer. Some project manager at Saunders in Philadelphia sent me a link to the dev site. Along with the link to the dev site was a link to haughey.com. I surfed mathowie's portfolio, projects, and weblog eventually ending up at metafilter. So I registered, and promptly posted a really stupid link. Being a kinder, gentler metafilter at the time the community humored me and I eventually learned proper etiquette (then promptly vowed to never use this knowledge). That first visit to haughey.com was the spark point of my introduction to personal websites, online community, and my knowledge of everything else I find valuable or inspiring about the web.
Thank you mathowie.
DotBomb - Bursting bubbles in slow motion with running commentary
MetaFilter was THE filter for all things 'e'. 1999-2000 were the years of 'e' - every new company, service, or technology seemed to have a name starting with 'e'. I followed along with the cynicism and bemusement that prolific posters of the time displayed during the escalating absurdity at the apex of the Dotcom bubble.
Other memories:
• When google was linked when it was in beta - long before text ads
• When MetaFilter itself was one of the first sites I visited to get text ads
• When MetaFilter was the original meme aggregator
• GoogleBombs!
• FuckedCompany!
• The 5k contest
• The MetaFilter/SXSW symbiosis
• MetaFilter - blogger connection
• MetaFilter - flickr connection
• MetaFilter - FilePile connection
• MetaFilter - Fray connection
• Fark Wars and the CamGirl invasion
• When tracking cookies and targeted ads were horrifying
• Birth of the MeFiMob and the end of online malice without fear of exposure
• When blogs were a joke to commentators, and everywhere could be heard wailing of the death of the personal web
It's been a wild ride, MetaFilter.