motometal

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Sep 3, 2001
2,682
3
I think okie would need lotsa help...even 1000 is getting pretty big, i'm not trying to be selfish but I think smaller is better (within limits), every year it will grow...
 

Tony Eeds

Godspeed Tony.
N. Texas SP
Jun 9, 2002
9,535
0
Only a smidgen over a thousand to go!
I agree about size in a way, but I am not sure what the number is. Even with 19K+ it is my sense that the number that actually contribute is small and the number that live on the boards is even smaller.
Tony
 

BSWIFT

Sponsoring Member
N. Texas SP
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 25, 1999
7,926
43
LOL motometal! I think he was referring to the membership on the boards NOT the attendance at DW.
 

bscottr

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Sep 20, 2001
1,255
0
MX-727,
Don't you have a bud that can file a low level flight plan over Cooperland, say...about 3 or 4 October? Maybe for a few aerial pics of the happenings. Doesn't FEDEX have a blimp? :confused:

Damn I hate I'm missin' it! :(
 

IrishEKU

A General PITA.
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 21, 2002
3,808
0
Originally posted by motometal
I think okie would need lotsa help...even 1000 is getting pretty big, i'm not trying to be selfish but I think smaller is better (within limits), every year it will grow...

:) MM I think what MX ment was here on the site.
 

Tony Eeds

Godspeed Tony.
N. Texas SP
Jun 9, 2002
9,535
0
Originally posted by MX-727
How cool if DRN topped 20,000 members during DirtWeek? :aj:

Yea, MX means DRN, but fantasize for a moment ....
If we had 20,000 show up for DW .....
Where would we hold it?
How many mags would show up then?
How many politicians would be there shaking hands?
How many TV crews would be present?
Would Okie have any hair left after such an event?

It would be like Woodstock .... maybe even go down in the annals of lore!

Naw .... let’s never let it get anywhere near that big. :) :)
 

Jeff Gilbert

N. Texas SP
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Oct 20, 2000
2,969
2
I can see the headlines now,

"Dirt Week Attendance Rallies that of Sturgess!"

The worlds most popular Dirt Bike related Internet sight began only a few short years ago. Owner Okiewan (later shortened to "Okie") while trying to figure out how to set up a network at the house thought it might be fun to start a web page for motorcycle enthusiasts. Utilizing an extra phone line that was in the spare bedroom when they bought the house he began tinkering with a bulletin board design. After 10 minutes the idea was a reality.

At first the only member that would join in the activities was this fella named "Pokie," rumor has it he was blackmailed. After a few weeks of mass emails a few dysfunctional members joined up and Okie's dream came true.

Members started joining at an impressive rate yet as with anything that involves a lot of people things started to get out of hand. One of the female members developed a "Tude" and was sent packing to "Kali-fornia." She contacted the local law enforcement out there but it turns out the cop was a dirt bike enthusiast also so it was a lost cause for her. A couple of other "Cowboy" types came and went over the next couple of years but they too were sent packing.

To commemorate the 1st anniversary of the web based Dirt Bike site (DRN) Okie and his sidekicks celebrated by having a bar-b-que at a motorcycle park and had so much fun watching the members they decided to do it again the following year. After 2 years in a row and attendance growing it was decided to relocate the 3rd anniversary from Illinois to Oklahoma where it was okay to blow things up in a "bomb fire" and male adults to run around in women's clothing.

It seems customary that in order the attend one of these festivities that the newer members must allow themselves to be run over by an outlaw group of members called the "Heartland Spodes." Though it is not mandatory to being run over in order to join DRN, it has become a tradition if you choose to become a full pledged member of the sub group itself. On a side note, the group will feed you well after running over you.

Attendance has steadily grown over the past 3 years and it is expected that next years event will top over 20,000 of the foulest smelling, weekend warriors, that the country has ever seen. The only difference between this event and the one that happens in Sturgess is these two wheeled loving enthusiasts don't come a ridin' into town on their steeds, they tow them!
:thumb:
 

justql

Sponsoring Member<BR>Club Moderator
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Oct 23, 2000
2,874
0
Originally posted by bscottr
MX-727,
Don't you have a bud that can file a low level flight plan over Cooperland, say...about 3 or 4 October? Maybe for a few aerial pics of the happenings. Doesn't FEDEX have a blimp?

:think: Maybe an arial shot is possible.
 

Tony Eeds

Godspeed Tony.
N. Texas SP
Jun 9, 2002
9,535
0
Nice job, Jeff ROTFLMAO :)
 

MX-727

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Aug 4, 2000
1,811
13
Nice Jeff. Good references too. :)

Yeah, 20,000 members on the board is what I meant. 20,000 at DirtWeek :eek:
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,555
2,237
Texas
Good stuff Jeff, you have no idea how close to the truth the first paragraph is, lol. No, the server isn't in my house (Colorado actually), but the rest is right on the money.

I left a pretty good career (BMW company car :) ) in 96 to do this "web thing" ... I'd been messing around making sites since 94, as a hobby. After the wife got over the initial shock, it went pretty well. Lots of clients paying me way too much to build and host their sites. Set-up a couple of BB systems for folks, got to know the code pretty well, decided to make this one soon after Pokie and I started riding again (we took 20 years off). Found Canadian Dave on one of the "other" boards, offered him his own place. Found MXTuner, did the same. Tuner lead me to Rich, who happens to ride 30 minutes from my house. Rich lead me to Eric and Jeremy. Since I'm in D17, contacted AJ to give him web space for the District, who led me to wardy... it just all came together. A cool site and a lot of great friends.

Over time, each of the mods came, all but a couple that either left or were booted :p, are the originals. I don't know how many sites have the consistency we enjoy. To this day, it blows me away when I think about how much these mods and Admin care about this site.

For the record; we never spammed sites or pulled any stunts to grow the membership here. I guess quality rises to the top? No, I’m not blowing our horn… the membership of this site is without doubt, the best on the web. You go to DirtWeek and see if you don’t walk away knowing you just met the most awesome group of people on the planet. There is the proof. This isn’t a site of personas … these are people being who they really are, somehow we end up with a group like this.

If someone asked me how to build such a community, I wouldn’t know what to say. I really have no clue. I guess it’s just a case of; the right time, the right place and the right people. Whatever it is, I’m beyond proud to be associated with it. I’m not the one to get credit for this, the members make this site what it is.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
 

motometal

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Sep 3, 2001
2,682
3
the best (or one of the best ) parts, Okie, is that you get to be your own boss.

Jeff-regarding towing to DW rather than riding the bikes to Sturgis...you would be surprised how many people tow Harleys to that event. And yes, it took buku willpower for me to not follow that sentence with an anti-Harley comment. :debil:
 

Tony Eeds

Godspeed Tony.
N. Texas SP
Jun 9, 2002
9,535
0
Saweeet - Okie, thanks for having the dream and more importantly the courage to follow the dream.
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,555
2,237
Texas
you would be surprised how many people tow Harleys to that event.
Yup... the place is full of trailers for miles around.

Oh and yeah, it's cool to work for myself, but I need to give me a raise. One thing you NEVER want to do when you are self employed is look at your "per hour" income. I made more per hour working at McDonald's in 1977 :thumb: But No Way would I go back to the corporate thing.
 

KelvinKDX

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Aug 25, 2000
1,622
0
Jeff - funny.

Okie - the way that you have developed DRN into a community of people instead of personas is more than likely by your integrity and discouragement of the ones visiting the site only to stir up trouble.

Wendy & i came to MWSF2K after probably seeing the site for a month or two. She did not even register as Cycledelic Neophyte until after we returned home from the event. We surmised from the posts that we had read that we were going to meet a good group of people. We weren't too far off. ;)

Keep up the (low paying) good work! :thumb:
 
B

biglou

I joined this site so I could be eligible to go to MWSF2000. The rest, as they say, is history!

I love this place. :thumb:
 

JuliusPleaser

Too much of a good thing.
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Nov 22, 2000
4,392
0
Okie, do you have an agent? I smell a book deal, or maybe a TV Movie Of The Week. :worship: :)
 

bscottr

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Sep 20, 2001
1,255
0
:thumb:

Love the history lessons. IRT DRN, need to gather all the historic bits and pieces from other posts, including the recent one on Rich, to give the full blown DRN history. Good stuff!

Each Mod needs a detailed bio/history page. Probably needs to be written by someone else, cause they won't blow thier on horn.


Originally posted by Okie
Pokie and I started riding again (we took 20 years off).
No kidding? I'd like to know how many members did the same. You see………. I could use this data to prove to my wife I’m not crazy or at least not the only crazy one still riding. I was going to introduce her to Gomer, but decided that wouldn’t help. :p :) :)
 

motox757

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Apr 14, 2001
195
0
It is about 10 PM CST and I just noticed that the DRN member list is now at 19,004! When I checked there were also 43 new member that signed up today! To get to 20,000 by DW'02 (roughly 16 days till the October 2nd )there would have to be 62 1/2 new members each day. If you take into account that DW'02 last till Saturday the 5th (19 days) then there would need to be 52.63157894 new members each day.

Can it be done? Will there be a bunch of alias' created to artificially bloat the member list? Regardless, this is one cool site, I thank mx547 for getting me involved with this web site. Also, thanks go out to all of those involved in keeping it a viable place to keep in touch with the sport we all love...
 

Jaybird

Apprentice Goon
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Mar 16, 2001
6,452
0
Charlestown, IN
Originally posted by Okie
...Oh and yeah, it's cool to work for myself, but I need to give me a raise. One thing you NEVER want to do when you are self employed is look at your "per hour" income....

Boy, aint THAT the truth! :eek:

Being self employed is often times Feast and as often Famine.
 
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