Daddy's M4M Forum History

[EZEtoGRU]

I have been curious for a while about the history of this forum. I am a relative newcomer (although I did lurk for several years). When did the forum start? What is the history with Hooboy? Was there a connection and then a break-up with Hooboy?

 

Not trying to stir the pot or open any old wounds, just interested in a factual history not gossip. Does anyone know?

 

BTW, I did a search and did not find anything.

[JT Brooklyn]

Sadly HOOBOY Passed and Daddy has kept the eternal Flame bright!

[+ Charlie]

The forum was started as part of the review site which Hooboy set up in 1999. Hooboy died suddenly in 2005, and Daddy, who was already deeply involved in operating the website, took it over and continued the forum. That's the condensed version. I'm sure there are people who would be happy to give you much more detailed histories, often with conflicting perspectives, but you'll only get them in private messages.

[leigh.bess.toad]

EZE -- I don't know why, but for some reason just a few days ago I went looking and found the thread that Daddy started back in 2005 announcing HooBoy's passing. Even though HooBoy was long departed before I came, I really felt to come to know him a bit through this thread. I learned where he got his name. And the touching tributes from so many members, some still here,some moved on, really moved me very deeply. I think it may be worth your time to read that thread and the Remembrance thread that was started at the same time. HooBoy -- years after you are gone, you are still touching the lives of men such as myself. What you started has changed my life forever and I will never stop being grateful for all you did for men such as me. I wish I had known him. Daddy -- thank you so much for continuing the work of HooBoy. It has given a place to me to learn, grown and radically alter my life. Without this place, i would never have come out nor found the love of my life. I am forever in the debt of both HooBoy and Daddy.

 

 

http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?41714-Hooboy-has-left-the-building.

 

http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?41722-Remembrances

[wayout]

The forum was started as part of the review site which Hooboy set up in 1999. Hooboy died suddenly in 2005, and Daddy, who was already deeply involved in operating the website, took it over and continued the forum. That's the condensed version. I'm sure there are people who would be happy to give you much more detailed histories, often with conflicting perspectives, but you'll only get them in private messages.

 

Thanks Charlie, very interesting. So the info on your post says you joined in Dec 1969, 30 years before the forum even started. Now if that isn't impressive then I am not sure what would impress anyone (here is where I could make some comment about impressive body parts but I will refrain).

 

Btw, I miss Hooboy and am so glad that Daddy has carried on his tradition.

[Steven_Draker]

Thanks Charlie, very interesting. So the info on your post says you joined in Dec 1969, 30 years before the forum even started.

 

Another reason not to believe everything you see or read on the Internet. ;-)

 

Judging by his avatar our Esteemed member Charlie joined the Forum a few centuries back. Love that look.

 

All jokes aside, I think the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of Thursday, January 1, 1970 has something to do with it. Consider January 1970 or December 1969 (depending on your time zone and if you're logged in) the default date for joining the Forum.

 

http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?81228-Jake-Havoc-or-Kris-from-Maximum-Escorts-in-NYC&p=724413#post724413

[+ Charlie]

I don't know exactly what caused many of the original members' join date to reset to December 1969; it happened during one of the revisions that Daddy made to the site. I actually joined in Sept. 1999.

 

The avatar is not really me (surprise!) but my esteemed ancestor Charlie, the Earl of Cottenham.

[Guy Fawkes]

http://www.daddysreviews.com/art/misc/greta_large.jpg

 

http://www.daddysreviews.com/press/rememberance

[EZEtoGRU]

Charlie. Thanks for the condensed history.

 

LBT. Thanks for the links. Amazing just how much Hooboy was loved on the forum. As you say, many names contributing that we don't see any longer. On the other hand, many people who still do contribute.

 

Daddy. Thanks for the tributes link. Really lovely.

 

Wow.....such a history. I am sorry I never really was engaged with the site when Hooboy was around.....but I do now have new admiration for Daddy!!

 

Thanks everyone!!

[Guy Fawkes]

In the previous Forum Software, a timestamp of zero was displayed as "Founder." The forum software previous to that one didn't track registration date so all the users imported from that version had their registration dates defaulted to zero.

 

Thus Charley predates recorded history. Which of course means that he's forever being chased by young men that desperately want his secret to his eternal youth.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_time

 

http://laughingsquid.com/wp-content/uploads/unix-epoch.png

 

Another reason not to believe everything you see or read on the Internet. ;-)

 

Judging by his avatar our Esteemed member Charlie joined the Forum a few centuries back. Love that look.

 

All jokes aside, I think the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) of Thursday, January 1, 1970 has something to do with it. Consider January 1970 or December 1969 (depending on your time zone and if you're logged in) the default date for joining the Forum.

 

http://www.companyofmen.org/showthread.php?81228-Jake-Havoc-or-Kris-from-Maximum-Escorts-in-NYC&p=724413#post724413 [/color]

[+ Charlie]

Thus Charley predates recorded history. Which of course means that he's forever being chased by young men that desperately want his secret to his eternal youth.

 

[/img]

 

Alas! So true. Would that they wanted more!

[Steven_Draker]

"Epoch fail" indeed :-)

 

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/2981/epoch.jpg

[KMEM]

I have been called a dinosaur before myself but never actually read a post by one until now.

 

Best regards,

KMEM

[+ deej]

In the previous Forum Software, a timestamp of zero was displayed as "Founder."

 

It was "charter member" wasn't it?

 

Another reason not to believe everything you see or read on the Internet. ;-)

 

"The problem with the internet is you can't believe everything you read." -- Abraham Lincoln

[wayout]

"The problem with the internet is you can't believe everything you read." -- Abraham Lincoln

 

That's great Deej....thanks for starting my day off with a chuckle

[adriano46]

As one who was around here lurking and contributing at the time HooBoy was here, I have to say that when I stumbled on the original site, it was like finding a gold mine.

 

I was closeted (deeply) and in a work situation that did not allow one to jump out so easily. I was beginning to consider hiring escorts (in Europe) and had no way to navigate this corner of the universe until I found this site on an old search engine. It was a gift from the heavens as it helped me see that I was not odd, or unique, but that there were many others out there like me. More, the exchange of information, the repartee, the cyber friendships etc... were a added benefit.

 

Yes in the good old days there were also some real characters here (my favorite of the past was FFF) who made my day with their commentary. While the comments became a bit too acerbic, it was great to dialogue here with escorts (in those days that did occur), and also get a sense of who was worth following and who was worth avoiding (and this is still the main reason I check in).

 

Daddy has done a great job not only keeping the original ideas and "flame of memory" of Hooboy alive, but of performing almost single-handedly a needed service to many like myself who depend on a site like this to express what is often repressed or hidden, and not feel guilty about it. (In thanking Daddy, I also thank all the others who help him so selflessly in monitoring the playground here, making sure not too many enter to kick sand in our eyes while playing).

[JT Brooklyn]

http://www.daddysreviews.com/art/misc/greta_large.jpg

 

http://www.daddysreviews.com/press/rememberance

 

The Best Avatar ever! I for one really miss all of Hooboys Adventure's and mis-Adventure's! R.I.P.

[Guy Fawkes]

I stand corrected, I do believe your right.

 

It was "charter member" wasn't it?

 

 

 

"The problem with the internet is you can't believe everything you read." -- Abraham Lincoln

[uwsman2]

I was also actively involved on this site, both as a reviewer (under a different screen name) and here in the forum, back in the days of Hooboy. Although I had a long history of hiring escorts before there were internet review sites (dating back to the late 1970s), having this wealth of information (and informative gossip) available has been very useful. Hiring on the basis of those short classified ads in the Advocate pink pages (remember them?) or the Village Voice classifieds in NYC was never very satisfactory in terms of knowing much about what you were going to get.... One of the big changes faciliated by this is the corps of traveling escorts, who now have a mechanism to make their travels known to potential customers much more efficiently than was the case with local gay newspaper classified advertising. I've met some of the nicest guys, with whom I've become "regulars" on their NYC visits, through this forum.

Thanks to Hooboy, and thanks to Daddy!

[EZEtoGRU]

I have a follow-up question now. Again, not trying to be controversial.....just to understand history. What is the relationship between the daddy's site and the Male Escort Review site? I see references to the Hooboy name on there as well. Is MER a break-off site from the original Hooboy site (now daddy's)? Thanks in advance.

[+ deej]

There is no relationship between the two sites.

[OneFinger]

...What is the relationship between the daddy's site and the Male Escort Review site? I see references to the Hooboy name on there as well...

 

As previously mentioned, there is no relationship between the 2 sites. But, there is a commonality and some posters (like me) participate on both forums. I think Hooboy set a very high standard for this type of interactive site. I find it nice that his memory continues in multiple venues.

[jackboy48]

I bought my first home PC during the winter of 98-99, it was programed with Windows 98, so that's how I date my initial membership. I didn't sleep for a week after that first PC and could just barely tear myself away from the screen to go to work. After weeks and months of endless surfing, I found Hooboy's site, and it was exactly like finding a pot of gold as previously mentioned. Over the next few years the site seemed to crash at least 3 or 4 times, and my registration was always getting messed up. Some of the crashes were kind of planned as he tried out new software and some were pure accidents of one sort or another. I always thought he was a frustrated internet genius who was constantly searching for the next best thing, but just couldn't get what he needed. The first time the site crashed, it was a pure accidental overload, which I didn't realize or understand, and I went into a total freakout, thinking that I had been deliberately singled out and shunned. I was guilty of complaining about an email that I had received from a well known traveler, and boy did I incur the wrath of Hooboy, who, I realize now, had a vested interest in this guy, as he was driving a lot of interest to this site. I made the foolish mistake of trying to defend my view, but that went nowhere fast! After a week or two the site was back up and I tried to sign on, but to no avail. Eventually I realized that I needed to re-register. What a relief!, and I ended up re-registering several times over the next few years. As Daddy took over, my registration was messed up again, and I decided not to re-register for another year. I was able to see the reviews but avoided getting back to the message boards. I felt that during the Hooboy years I had a really hard time dealing with all the vagaries and frustrations of trying to be an active participant, though I was able to kind of make amends with Hooboy. Once, I even thought I was going to meet him on a trip I was taking to Brazil, but he got to the airport with no realization that he needed a visa in advance of the flight. I can't remember where he ended up going that day (Barbados? France?), but I think that as he was rushing about in the airport, he dropped his laptop down 2 or 3 flights of stairs, so the site went on a surprise hiatus for the next few days. I often think about what a wonderful character he was, and how wonderfully unique and interesting this site has always been. Daddy and his group (?) have kept things running so much more smoothly, and I truly appreciate their efforts. I was more gun shy than a lurker for several years, but finally resumed posting about a year ago, so that's why I'm still an apprentice.

[JT Brooklyn]

Jackboy Definitely makes me miss the HOOBOY Days! Ya never knew what was going to happen next..he definitely made his "Working Guy" site interesting along with the now Long moved on Poster's of the day!

 

MER suits some tastes but never mine...I'd actually forgotten it exits.

[rossthebosssf]

I would love to see a graphical timeline. From the start of Hooboy, to the start of various dramas (BN), to now. Could be interesting. Any talented artists out there we could commission?