PHILADELPHIA, DALLAS, CHICAGO (AP): It was ten years ago today that Matt Marcotte and Alex Gordon joined Phil, Isaac, and I over here at Throwing Things, merging over their Live From Five Minutes Ago and A List A Day blogs, respectively. "The move greatly increases the site's diversity," we noted at the time, "Whereas before Throwing Things solely focused on the cultural tastes of overeducated urban liberal males in their early 30s, the new site will provide the much-needed perspective of groups previously underrepresented in the blogosphere: overeducated urban liberal males in their mid 20s and mid 30s."
We also promised something else: "The newly-merged website, to be titled A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago (for a day or two, anyway)..." Um, yeah, about that?
I fully recognize that this site are a relic of an era during which there was mostly TWoP, really -- AV Club didn't have comments yet, and Sepinwall was a year-and-a-half away from blogging. Had all the options around today been available then, including social media, I never would have started this thing. I am grateful to have been born at the right time such that I did, and that I've had such great friends with whom to do this, along with all of you in the comments to build and sustain this little community. So thanks.
Thank you for this little corner of the world. I've been hanging around since near the beginning, and its a wonderful community. I point people here every so often, and I don't know if anyone has actually come as a result.
ReplyDeleteOne of these days, I'll actually meet another person from the community. Until then, thank you.
You don't think there's a niche in the current market for a University of Chicago Law School pop-culture blog? :-D
ReplyDeleteThanks to both Adam and my co-bloggers for having me, and for this community for being a constant source of delight and laughter in my life. As many of y'all know, the past year has been a year of a bunch of changes for me (both professionally and personally), and all of y'all have been important to keeping me grounded and giving me an outlet.
ReplyDeleteAnd Roger, if there was need for additional pop culture analysis from the University of Chicago's perspective, wouldn't the market ensure it would be so?
I'd love to hear how, specifically, people got here. For me, it was a TV Tattle link about Shonda and the bee. But however it happened, I'm glad it did.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to Jay's question, I came over from a link given by Alan Sepinwall's blog and never left. It has been long enough ago that I have no idea what he was linking but I'm so glad I came over. Of course, it does mean that I sound like a semi-crazy person when I talk to my off-line friends about things my online friends at ALOTT5MA have said. Thanks for being so awesome.
ReplyDeleteIn 2004 I was aware of the concept of a blog, but mainly in terms of people chronicling their lives, not so much a participatory community. Then Adam told me about his blog, and after I had a chance to check it out, I told him I thought whatever the latest post was about was interesting. So he said, "Then leave a comment!" I've been here ever since.
ReplyDeleteGood lord, 10 years! If back in the day we had any middle school readers, they are now graduating college. Though my contributions may be far and few between, I still cherish this spot. Miss those golden days of blogging, but am so happy this still is flourishing and so many people find it a valuable spot.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was a link to Isaac Spaceman's brilliant airline rant (maybe from Althouse).
ReplyDeleteI started reading Throwing Things back in 2002.....then you merged...... and things got even crazier. In a good way. :-)
ReplyDeleteFor me, I am sentimental about this site because when I had my babies in 2005 and 2007, I relied on this site to keep me up to date. I was down a crazy rabbit hole of babies 20 months apart, but I appreciated this site because you condensed all the stuff I needed to know.
Thank you! And many happy returns!!
I like InertiaGirl came here from Alan Sepinwall but via his interview with TWOP just before the founders exited. Thanks for being one of the few places I comment safely and for providing such awesome link baits.
ReplyDeleteI can't remember WHEN I found this place (though it was before 2008 at least), but I can remember how: another internet friend posted a link on a board that was populated by displaced TWoP OTB board posters. I didn't comment for a long time because, well, y'all are smarter than me and I felt dumb, but I have always enjoyed the posts and the links! Once I started commenting, I made some great friends, one of whom was even willing to trudge through Europe with me and my stupid broken ankle. Thanks, ALOTT5MA! Here's to another 10!
ReplyDeleteI love it here so much, I brought my sister. Thanks for all the laughs, the new and old friendships, and the snark. Ten years. Huh.
ReplyDeleteTen years! Count me in among those that have been here since the beginning... even though I'm not sure exactly how I got here. I love coming to this smart and fun and goofy and wise corner of the internet. I feel like I know so many of you, even thought I don't think I've actually met in anyone in person. Between this place and Twitter and Facebook it feels like we're all family, and I'm happy to be part of the gang. Thanks to all of you who started this a whole decade ago and keep this place going now!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on 10 years! I've been around since 2008, when I was 16. I was at home for much of high school due to a chronic illness and it meant a lot to me to be part of this community. Thanks for being so nice to my awkward little self. (Also, I still enjoy telling people that Shonda Rhimes told me to have lots of sex in college.)
ReplyDeleteCame for the spelling bee coverage (from a link by Mo Ryan when she was still at the Trib, I think). Stayed for Kim Cosmo's & Isaac's SYTYCD coverage, the classic US Airways rant, "what are you reading" posts, Thanksgiving menu ideas, Lost discussions, NY theatre coverage, The Wire re-watch, and on and on...
ReplyDeleteThis blog and its commenters have had a extraordinary impact on the TV, movies, books, music, theatre and internet ephemera that I consume (in the best possible way). Congratulations on 10 years and a genuine thank you to all who've been involved with the site over the years.
Belated congrats! You all have played a happy part in my life for as long as I've been coming around these parts (can't remember whether it preceded the merger or not, but either way), including indulging me in my periodic Springsteen tongue-baths - thanks to all of the bloggers, and thanks to all in the community. Like many others here, I've made a lot of new friends from ALOTT5MA, for which I am most grateful.
ReplyDeleteMazel tov on reaching the first decade milestone! I can't remember when and how I came here, though it was probably 7 or 8 years ago and likely via spelling bee. This little community is so wonderful, and I've been delighted to meet several of you in person and become virtual friends with others. This is always one of my favorite places to go online, and one of the places that makes me laugh the most, has some of the most knowledgeable posters/commenters, and shows me the most interesting pop culture tidbits I would've missed otherwise. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI've been a reader for about a decade, I think. Definitely pre-merger. This is the only blog I still read. Can't beat the folks in this community!
ReplyDeleteMazel tov! While blogging is less dynamic than it was back in aught-four, or at least many of the bloggers from back in the day are at best sproadic, or have quit, I'm thrilled to see that ALOTT5MA is still here and still fun and vibrant.
ReplyDeleteBut, Adam, "Matt Marcotte and Alex Gordon joined Phil, Isaac, and I" Really?
Here's the first post-merger capture of the site from the Wayback Machine: http://web.archive.org/web/20040525171518/http://throwingthings.blogspot.com/
I was wondering how I found it, but this must've been how I got here, too!
ReplyDeleteI can't remember how I got here. I do know that it was two or three years into the existence of the blog, though, because I was doing receptionist work with vast swathes of time to kill, and I went back and read from the beginning.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the ten years; here's to ten more!
I think I lurked here for over a year probably 6 or 7 years ago when I first found it - and honestly I can't remember how. I remember just after I discovered it I had an exceedingly slow week at work and going back to the very first post and reading them all - that's how connected I felt to this group of pop-culture nerds. And I think the first time I commented was fairly random - on a post about best opening lyrics to songs, and no one had tossed out The Cure's "Just Like Heaven."
ReplyDeleteSince then I've been lucky enough to get to guest post a couple times and meet a good handful of the people on here, one of whom, Becca, generously allowed me to invite myself on her European birthday trip that we just got back from. And I hope to meet a good chunk of the Chicago contingent in early June when I'm there for a work trip (will contact folks separately about that.)
Happy anniversary!
I don't remember when, but it was via facebook, where a friend of mine is friends with Adam's brother. All three of them were RAs during my last summer at CTY, and she was one of the major reasons I ended up where I did for college. Clicking on various things on FB brought me here.....glad it did!
ReplyDeleteThank you for this excellent place and the people in it. It's really the most positive, informative, fun part of my internet day. Thanks for always giving me something to talk about.
ReplyDeleteFor me it was after about the tenth time my sister Marsha said, "You have to check out this blog! It's perfect for you!"
ReplyDeleteMentos. It was Mentos.
ReplyDelete