How many of the 1st thousand DUers are still active?

[Kaleva]

Folks who signed up on or shortly after Jan 20th 2001

[yourout]

1. I have been here off and on since 2004 but I have no idea..

What number I am.

[bif]

2. I starting following DU in Jan or Feb of 2001

And joined in August of that year.

[Delphinus]

3. Goodness!

What an interesting question!

I am definitely NOT in the 2001 range, although I might have been a lurker. I know I signed up after Kerry lost and was so unused to how chat boards worked, that I was VERY grateful when DU mods allowed a handle name change and I could start posting without my name in the handle.

[kcoates]

4. 2003

July 7 2003. I lot of the very active members from those days have passed. Even though I never post I read DU ever day for over 22 years, hours each day!!

[murielm99]

13. November 2003.

I lurked for a year.

[Grey5]

5. I don't know if qualify but I signed up in the first 6 months or so.

have always been Grey or Grey5. I do love it here, the people have been just wonderful. This is my first stop every morning.

[Shellback Squid]

6. Nov 4 2003 but lurked a year before joining

[ProfessorGAC]

7. August 2001, Here

My user ID # is 104893. I don't know what that represents as to the first 1,000.

[unblock]

28. 105109 Here. Also August 2001. Guess you beat me here by a few days ;)

[ProfessorGAC]

31. According To The System Time Stamp...

...Skittles & I joined at the very same date & time!
And like you, we're both still here.

[hlthe2b]

8. I imagine there are quite a few 2001 registrants (like me) who came to DU 01/20/01 only to lurk initially...

Last edited Sat Nov 1, 2025, 04:43 PM - Edit history (1)

(many having seen Skinner's sign on TV in the inauguration crowds). I finally gave in and registered on July 2, 2001. Coincidentally, I know that fellow Coloradoan, Kentuck, registered the same day.

Sadly, a lot of us who registered that first year remember several of those who made DU what it is, but have sadly passed. Ask anyone here that first year if they remember the very prolific and eloquent poster, Khephra, and I'd bet it would be 100%. nostamj and Andy_Stephenson are likewise fondly remembered, but there are others.

[davsand]

15. I miss Kephra a lot.

TRULY a fabulous soul. 5thGenDem, Will Pitt, and too many others have passed and it makes me sad.

Laura

[Elessar Zappa]

19. I remember them!

I signed up in 2003 when I was 19. I think I was the youngest member at the time or at least it seemed like it. I miss those days, even Bush seems not as bad compared to Trump.

[bottomofthehill]

32. What ever happened to johnkleeb

he was here so long ago, he must be in his 40’s now.

[hlthe2b]

37. Among many who just disappeared. I always wondered about Matcom and his purple dancing hippo

I thought he had maintained some relationship with WillPitt after he left and had hoped he might come and post after William's death. But, he, among many others, seems to be lost to us. sigh...

[Solly Mack]

9. Probably quite a few.

[montanacowboy]

10. July 2002

Hard to believe it's been 23 years!

[AllaN01Bear]

11. i came in after the gore v bush gaffe under a different username .

had to change things because of the 2016 great du hack.

[Marthe48]

12. I joined in 2001

But probably not one of the first 1000

[davsand]

14. June 2001 for me.

Still here.




Laura

[rurallib]

16. I wonder if EarlG could do a search on sign up dates

and then check if those folks had posted in @ the last 3 months or so. It would be interesting.

[Kaleva]

22. I agree

[democrank]

17. Finally joined DU in September, 2003.

Love this place!

[comradebillyboy]

18. I signed up in May 2001.

[Elessar Zappa]

20. 2003 for me.

I remember finding the Lounge crew of the time quite hilarious with posters like Matcom, Sniffa, and ZombyWoof.

[catrose]

21. I lurked after PlaidAdder brought me in but signed up in 2004

[Fla Dem]

23. November 2, 2003, in fact there are several DU'ers in this thread who joined in November 2003.

Bush was elected in 2000 with a 2nd election win in 2004. Not sure what made me finally decide to sign up as I had been following DU since it started in January 2001. It was probably that in his 2nd term run Bush was challenged by John Kerry a Senator from Massachusetts my home state and I wanted to follow his run.

DU was also becoming my place to go for election and most other news, so I finally decided to make it official. DU had been operational a little less than 3 years when I joined. Don't know how many DU'ers were on board then. Never regretted it. Still my "go to site" for almost any information.

[Kaleva]

24. tkmorris joined in June of 2001

But hasn’t posted since 2020.

I came across tkmorris’s profile when doing a search for starpass who had been quoted in a Wall Street Journal article.

[Kaleva]

25. An archived thread discussing early members

https://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3354133

[BlueWaveNeverEnd]

26. I was a smirkingchimper looong time ago. Found this site after

Smirking chimp moved away from the discussion format..under another DU name

[Kaleva]

27. Bo Zarts, formerly DemoTex, joined in May 2001

[applegrove]

29. 2005 for me. So just over 20 years.

[electric_blue68]

30. I found DU by accident while on a 24/7 Internet Cafe sometime in '01/'02 But w/o easy...

access to a computer, I didn't keep up.
Then in 2020 disappointed in the political section of a music site for a particular thing I thought I had to find a Democrat/Liberal leaning site.

Would you believe I remembered DU's name all those years later. I didn't think it'd be around but I was happily surprised. Lurked for a very short time, then jumped in!

[underpants]

33. Member since: Fri Sep 28, 2001, 05:00 AM

[GPV]

34. Came a wee bit later than that.

[lark]

35. I was on a different Democratic site that went away right not long after 1/01.

It disappeared, so went to Buzzflash (think it's now TruthOut) for awhile, then came here. I joined in June 2001 and this has been my go to ever since.

[Paladin]

38. 7-24-2001. (nt)

[LearnedHand]

39. Not the first 1000

but we were still in the 1500 range when I joined in early 2003. I wish we still showed member numbers instead of post numbers.

[efhmc]

40. 2002. Did not know about it before that. Almost left because there was way too much antifeminist.

"Bitch slap" was a frequent comment and I could not make people understand how offensive it was and still is. Other comments also. I tried hard to find a viable feminist forum and did not.

[Raven]

41. I signed up in August 2001. :-)

[Aristus]

42. Joined October 18th, 2001.

They day after my thirty-third birthday. The President sucked, my life sucked, everything sucked. DU was a warm, welcoming haven for me. I knew as long as I was here, things were going to be okay. I'm still glad I'm here, and I don't plan on ever leaving.

[Kaleva]

44. I've been here 17 years

And can’t imagine there ever being a time I won’t be coming here most every day as long as I’m alive.

[AuntieKatie]

43. June 2001