Birthday

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Fiona1986
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Re: Birthday

Post by Fiona1986 »

Here's to another 8 years on the forums!
"It's the ash! It's falling!" yelled Julian, almost startling Dick out of his wits...
"Listen to its terrible groans and creaks!" yelled Julian, almost beside himself with impatience.


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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Birthday

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

Poppy Hutchinson wrote:How come the forums was set up on CHRISTMAS day? :?
I believe Matt Roberts and Tony had been working on the website for some time, and that was when they finally had time to add the finishing touches and make it live.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Poppy
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Re: Birthday

Post by Poppy »

Oh, thanks Anita! What a nice Christmas present! :D
"Beware of young men with long hair - that's what dad says, isn't it?"
Pat, Holiday House


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Deej
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Re: Birthday

Post by Deej »

A big Happy eighth Birthday to EBS.

I have only been on this website and forum for 11 days and already feel a great part of this fantastic online community!
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Lenoir
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Re: Birthday

Post by Lenoir »

That’s good. It means a lot to all of us I think: the people, the site, etc.
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Ming
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Re: Birthday

Post by Ming »

Long Live The Enid Blyton Society Website!
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Darrell71
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Re: Birthday

Post by Darrell71 »

Happy B'day EBS! Long live it, and here's to another 800 years on the forums!
You can call me Sunskriti!
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Matthew Roberts
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Re: Birthday

Post by Matthew Roberts »

Happy birthday indeed! Eight years—it's hard to believe!

I know I no longer take an active role in the Society, its website or its forums, and perhaps some feel I have abandoned it, but I hope no one minds if I feel quietly proud of my part in all this, and hope that my involvement has not been forgotten. Correct me if I am wrong about any of this, Tony (my memory is terrible), but it all began with a small section advertising the Society on my (now-defunct) website, Enid Blyton Online (which I can't bear to look back on without cringing! A typical adolescent's obsessive's pet project!). When I eventually decided to close it down (to Tony's consternation!), Tony and I turned our attention to developing the Society's very own website, complete with a proper set of forums (or did the forums come a bit later?). It was quite a bit of work setting things up (and as I recall not everyone was thrilled with the final outcome!), but I think we were both proud of the end product.

I have never really had an aptitude for design (cf. my last website!), and so when Keith took over the management and design of the website, it became a thing of beauty, thanks to his graphic skills and helped in no small way by the dazzling array of original illustrations and book covers supplied by Tony. The website is now a behemoth of a thing, a wealth of information, a Blytonipedia, thanks to the tireless efforts and contributions of Tony, Anita, and many others. The forums were always my baby, and it is great to see how they have thrived and how the community has formed here. I know I am not around much any more, but I do wander in from time to time, have a snoop around, listen in at keyholes (quietly, so as not to alert Scamper), before heading off to the Cave of Books for a good read and to reminisce.

Anyway, I am glad to see the Society and the forums still going strong. I wonder if at some point a little history of the website and forums might be added to the main site somewhere (this page, perhaps? http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/society-shed.php). What do people think? What I wrote a while ago...
In 2002, the Society launched its own website, which in December 2004 underwent a complete overhaul with the addition of many new features and a members only section.
... doesn't seem to cut it any more. The website and these forums are now an integral part of the Society, I feel.

By the way, for those who fancy a trip down memory lane, you will find tools like Way Back Machine useful. Nothing is ever completely forgotten on the Internet! You just have to enter the URL of the website or page you are looking for to see earlier versions, including sites which no longer exist. I forget the many domain names I used for my old website (http://www.blyton.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.blytonweb.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; being the only two I remember—Tony, do you remember any others?), but http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; has always been the Society's home on the Web.
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Matthew Roberts
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Re: Birthday

Post by Matthew Roberts »

Anita Bensoussane wrote:
Poppy Hutchinson wrote:How come the forums was set up on CHRISTMAS day? :?
I believe Matt Roberts and Tony had been working on the website for some time, and that was when they finally had time to add the finishing touches and make it live.
I forget the reasoning, but I think that must have been it.
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Pippa-Stef
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Re: Birthday

Post by Pippa-Stef »

I'd like to quietly believe that you decided to launch on Christmas day becausr you were giving the world a gift, if its all the same to you! :wink: :oops:

And a jolly smashing one it is as well!,
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.

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Matthew Roberts
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Re: Birthday

Post by Matthew Roberts »

You know, I think I rather like that explanation myself. I'll join you in believing it to be true. :)
Katharine
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Re: Birthday

Post by Katharine »

Matthew, I enjoyed reading your about the birth of this site. I recently read an article that you wrote for one of the early Journals about you experience of the internet, which back in the late 1990s must have been in it's infancy. It was fascinating to think how things have developed since then. I kept meaning to look up the web site that you mentioned in that article to see if it still existed. From your comments above I'm guessing it isn't, but I'll try and look it up via the Way Back Machine. That's handy site to know, as there is another site I want to look up which recently closed.

By the way, it's nice to know you still look in from time to time, even if you don't post much. I still remember your really interesting posts about being Vegan. I haven't converted, but I do bear your comments in mind from time to time and do try to look for alternatives occasionally.
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Matthew Roberts
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Re: Birthday

Post by Matthew Roberts »

Oh, thank you, Katharine! That is nice to hear. Yes, those articles were written when I was about 14/15/16, if I recall correctly. Reading them now is just torture, of course, but I suppose that's a good thing, as it means my standard of writing has improved somewhat in the intervening 12-14 years! I also contributed a few articles to Michael Rouse's Green Hedges Magazine around that time, and I even had a small piece published in a glossy magazine called Young Writerand was paid for it. I felt like a proper writer, just like Liz—I mean Elizabeth Farrell in House-at-the-Corner. The subject of my article was, naturally, Enid Blyton, and dreadfully gushing it was too!

I am glad you found my posts about veganism interesting. If you have any other questions or are curious about anything else, please don't hesitate to ask—although perhaps a private message would ruffle fewer feathers. ;)
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Birthday

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

It's always good to see you posting, Matt - and thanks for the reminder of the "Way Back Machine".
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Katharine
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Re: Birthday

Post by Katharine »

Matthew, I thought your article was good, especially if you were only a teenager. As you say, it's often a little embarassing to read something you wrote when much younger, but fun too I think. I've just come across a piece of homework I did in my 20s for an English A Level - I'm not sure if I can bring myself to read it or not.

I've got a few copies of Green Hedge's Magazine, but haven't come across an article by you yet, but I still have quite a few gaps in that collection. Must have been great to actually be paid for the Young Writer article, did you have your name attributed to it, or like Elizabeth, did they leave it anonymous?

If I have any more questions about veganism I agree a PM would be better - I loved your reference to ruffled feathers. :lol:
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