Yup — just a little sleeker in some ways. And worse in others.
Was the first GD forum just started up by an individual? When I got involved, it was owned by a corporation, but I always assumed it had been purchased and changed hands a couple of times.
About that same time, early 2000s, there was a graphic design forum here in Salt Lake called ampUTate. When it shut down, I managed to find GDF.
Kool will have to give specifics on those really early days.
Kool, Allen Harkleroad and I think a guy named TallMike pretty much ran things. I think Allen may have been the very first originator … but I’m not sure. My brain is fuzzy all these years later lol 
When I came in it was under Jupiter Media and JPnyc was installed by them as he was a coding wizard 
He found me over on Virtual Doctor and Amazing Techs and brought me over here to help Mod. Been here ever since
Allen Harkleroad, launched the forum on October 7th 2002. Tall Mike joined up a few days later and Allen made him the moderator. I joined a few days later. The forum was really dead for the first 6 months or so, mostly just a few members shootin the shit in the off topic forum. In the spring and summer of 2003 about a dozen regulars had joined including PrintDriver. That was all it took, activity attracts more activity and so on. Eventually at our peak we averaged over 2000 posts a day. Allen sold the forum to Jupitermedia in 2005 or 2006.
That’s very interesting, and I’ve wondered about it from time to time. I vaguely remember Allen Harkleroad’s name being mentioned on the old green forum after I joined. Thanks for connecting the dots.
Two thousand posts per day, though. Wow! We could use a few of those posts on some days, but I wouldn’t wish for 2,000 of them.
Thanks Kool 
… good to know a few of my wires are still connected upstairs lol
I have a feeling it was sold in 2005 because everything was well in place when I got here the next year.
Ahh … I love reminiscing 
We would have some majorly fun times… The wacky posts that would take off and spin completely out of control … but in a good way.
Our PS Parties.
Boobie Island.
Special Avatar Days.
and our QOTW. It was always a badge of honor if you made the cut
I often wonder what happened to Bob. I made a mini poster outta one of his posts. It’s still on my bulletin board. And it’s still true. It features a Civil War Battlefield sketch where everyone is dead (n.b. part of my job is image acquisition and most often for the Civil War Era.)
The caption reads: “Production means that, by definition, you are the only one left standing to face the deadline.”
I loved the PS parties but my favorites were the avatar days, especially the spontaneous ones like the day we all changed our avatars to naked mole rats or axolotls. There were some great April Fools tricks like the time we changed all the avatars to Captain Kirk and the time we just switched all the regulars avatars randomly so each had the avatar of a different member.
Good memories for sure
I was originally 2005… yikes!
I seem to remember a topic where some kid posted his bare-chested self and seriously asked if somebody wouldn’t mind Photoshopping in some six-pack abs. If I remember right, this spiraled into some interesting retouching work.
They were hilarious days!
That six-pack thing was a most hilarious photoshop adventure, B!
I have never laughed so hard at work, LOL!
I think RKK tried to resurrect it once but most of the links to image host sites have long since broken.
You all are making me feel young — which isn’t easy to do these days.
You and me both, Steve_O!
Shiny Forehead Guy - He wanted us to remove it. Hilarity ensued. He however was not amused 
There were many more pics, but this is all I could save. It’s enough that you get the idea. This was around the time The Hoff was popular and not far from his drunken burger incident. There was a pic with a tomato that gave someone the idea for the burger … hence The Hoff My addition was Pam at the end. I really wish I had the whole thread. It was so freakin’ funny. I know MD, Lith, Garricks and several others were involved.
and in case you didn’t know … that is a bacon bandaid. We had a lot of fun times surrounding bacon back then. Even a whole thread dedicated to all things bacon
Six-pack Abs Guy - (WARNING) this shows a gentlemen with no shirt on if you are at work
A male stripper approached us one glorious day. He wanted us to help him look more muscular for his promo shot. He really wanted a six-pack. You have to remember all these wackadoo requests we would get would be for free. Since it would only take us a few minutes anyway
again … hilarity ensued.
There were many contributors to this one as well. Again, a lot were lost. This was right around the time when free image hosting sites were going defunct or holding photos hostage to get you to buy subscriptions. We had a lot of dead links
(I’ve blurred the actual face)
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Then he disappeared …
He went on to live happily ever after with the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Those threads with the shiny forehead and the male dancer are pure gold!
Yeah, that’s probably the one I was thinking of. It’s amazing that you managed to save these.
Lot’s of digging and screenshots. I was a very busy bee right before the doors on the old hangout closed for good.
