General What was your first forum like?

[TwitchisMental]

I am actually impressed with how many people remember their first forum... I know I can't XD.

The first one I can remember is a wrestling and mma forum I made called Ring Battle.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

Simply I had ideas and wanted to create my own thing. I was 12 years old and thought I had the best ideas ever. It was an interesting time on forums. I wanted to be the very best and offer the most lol.

Oh wow how did you get the funds to start one?

 

[Cory]

I was 12 years old

Did you have parental consent via COPPA to join forums at the time, or were you not even aware of such a law? Just out of curiosity.

 

[Arantor]

Depending on when that was, that might have pre-dated COPPA.

I was certainly on forums before COPPA existed but I was also 16 at the time (and that wasn’t an issue in the UK)

 

[Reverie]

Did you have parental consent via COPPA to join forums at the time, or were you not even aware of such a law? Just out of curiosity.

I believe during that era I was lying about my age online to be honest - mostly was lying due to privacy reasons. I was taught to do so by my dad lol. So I would have had the consent to join/partake anyways because he knew about it.

 

[Cory]

I believe during that era I was lying about my age online to be honest - mostly was lying due to privacy reasons. I was taught to do so by my dad lol. So I would have had the consent to join/partake anyways because he knew about it.

Oddly enough, I think I got into message boards right at 13 when COPPA no longer applied to me.

 

[Cam]

I believe during that era I was lying about my age online to be honest - mostly was lying due to privacy reasons. I was taught to do so by my dad lol. So I would have had the consent to join/partake anyways because he knew about it.

I was doing the same for a little while, my profile said I was two years older than I really was for a very long time. Don't think I fixed that until I had been on FP for 2-3 years.

 

[Empire]

SMF

 

[~ True Legend ~]

Depending on when that was, that might have pre-dated COPPA.

I was certainly on forums before COPPA existed but I was also 16 at the time (and that wasn’t an issue in the UK)

COPPA? How would that work when it comes to social media and all that?

 

[Ravenfreak]

COPPA? How would that work when it comes to social media and all that?

I know you have to be at least 13 to have a social media account, but I'm not sure how they deal with COPPA laws.

 

[Cam]

I know you have to be at least 13 to have a social media account, but I'm not sure how they deal with COPPA laws.

Mr. Zuckerberg has taken a lot of heat over the years because of this very issue. The FTC has sued Meta in the past, but I don't think anything has ever really come of it. The Daily did a podcast episode over this just a couple weeks ago actually, as a number of states got together and sued Meta here recently: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meta-sued-facebook-instagram-children-teens-harm-mental-health/

 

[~ True Legend ~]

I know you have to be at least 13 to have a social media account, but I'm not sure how they deal with COPPA laws.

Yeah never seen that kinda option

 

[Arantor]

That’s how they deal with it: they require you be over the minimum age limit, and if it comes to light that you lied, bye bye account.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

That’s how they deal with it: they require you be over the minimum age limit, and if it comes to light that you lied, bye bye account.

Yeah never believed they use COPPA. Didn’t see that option anywhere

 

[Cory]

Yeah never believed they use COPPA. Didn’t see that option anywhere

COPPA is a law if they're directed to children in the United States, so they'd have to abide by it.

 

[Arantor]

And if you don’t let under 13s on, you’re not subject to COPPA, it’s that simple.

 

[~ True Legend ~]

And if you don’t let under 13s on, you’re not subject to COPPA, it’s that simple.

@Cory this. Social media platforms simply don’t let those under 13 on, so no need for parental forms 👍

 

[Senkusha]

My first forum started back in 2003, with YABB, then YABBse, finally SMF. It was a fan site dedicated to the character Ayeka from the anime Tenchi Universe. I ran it mostly as just a collection of media related to the anime before I started my first role playing game on it (after being told by a guest that "this place is pretty boring. Try making a role playing game". I ran Ayeka's Bliss until 2012. By that time, my interests in anime had blossomed to include many more shows. I guess I had outgrown the site. LOL Anyway, I burned out and had too much in my life going on at the time, so I stepped away until a few years ago. I then started my latest forum after a few domain name changes figuring out what I wanted to specialize in...