Anyone remember Badger Pond?

[Frederick Skelly]

I used to really enjoy that site. They shut down probably 10 years ago, though I never learned why. Anybody know? (I always assumed it was a money and time sink, but one friend still speculates that the mediator was writing a PhD dissertation on early social media and shut it down when he finished that.)

Anyway, I recently ran across some of their archives that Wayne(?) turned over to another site. I also saw a post comparing SMC to The Pond. I agree to the extent that both are friendly places with knowledgable, helpful folks.

Who else remembers The Pond? Any fond memories?

Fred

[Jeff Fischer]

I have good memories of it too, it was a good site in the early days of internet sites, and I learned a lot from the guys on there. I especially enjoyed the sawmill run about 8 or so of us made around East Tennessee, a bunch of years ago. There are probably still a bunch of folks on here that remember BP. Sawmill Creek is a great site, and I enjoy visiting here often.

[Jim Tobias]

Unless my memory has really gone bad, I remember Sawmill Creek growing directly from the shutdown of Badger Pond. I was a regular visitor to Badger Pond but it was closing down as the operator (Wayne ??, I believe) was moving on and was no longer going to keep it going. Badger Pond was a good site with friendly discussion much like Sawmill Creek.
Then Keith came along and offered to pick it up (change it to Sawmill Creek) and keep it going and grow it to the GREAT site it is today.
Someone tell me I'm either correct or crazy. It's OK either way.

Jim

[Bruce Page]

Many of the original members of Sawmill Creek were Badger Pond members, myself (#26 to join) and Jim (#81) included. Keith Outten started up SMC in February, 2003 as a direct result of Badger Pond shutting down. He kept much of the Pond’s character by requiring real names and keeping a friendly, flame free atmosphere – things we still strive for today.

I have heard a few stories of why the Pond shut down but my personal belief is that Wayne Miller was just plain burnt out trying to run it as a one man show. SMC has 8-10 active moderators and it can still get hectic at times.

[Rick Potter]

Of course, we remember. Sawmill Creek was the place many of us settled after the Pond was drained. As I remember, it had grown so much the host could no longer handle the time and monetary expenditures. The archives are still available. I can't thank Keith enough for making this site the classy place it is. Thanks to the Moderators who assist him too.

Rick Potter

[Philip Duffy]

u bechem! Philip

[Rick Lizek]

Badger pond was a nothing special site to me but the archives are on wood central. No new info just new people asking old questions is my view of most forums.

[Rich Engelhardt]

No new info just new people asking old questions is my view of most forums

Then again.....when you're new to something, then everything is "new info", right?

[Mike Cutler]

Badger pond was a nothing special site to me but the archives are on wood central. No new info just new people asking old questions is my view of most forums.

In reality, there is no new info. It's always an old question to someone.

Frederick

I, and many others, remember Badger Pond well. What made it special was the degree of civility Wayne had as an expectation for participation. Many of the "rules" Sawmill Creek has are extensions of the same rules Badger Pond had. Keith didn't make up the rules himself, he solicited a lot of input from the forum members early on, and the rules were basically adopted by committee. From time to time Keith unduly takes heat for the forum rules, but it was the membership that decided the rules.
At the end of Badger Pond, Wayne had called it a social experiment that had run it's course, ( roughly paraphrasing) in his final letter to the members. I was always a little put off by that implication, but I think his point was that complete strangers, with a common interest, could come together and act as a civil community via the internet.
I think Keith, Jackie and Aaron have done a fantastic job of continuing the "social experiment".

[John Piwaron]

Yup. I remember them. I think I've still got a coffee mug with their logo on it.

[Howard Acheson]

>>>> my personal belief is that Wayne Miller was just plain burnt out trying to run it as a one man show.

That was my understanding too. My recollection goes back to one of the original internet discussion sites called Compuserve. Wayne originated his forum on that site and then moved to his own forum called Badger Pond.

[J.R. Rutter]

Yup. I remember them. I think I've still got a coffee mug with their logo on it.

That's still my work coffee mug. The logo is faded, but it still reminds me of the early days of my business when I got a lot of solid advice from that forum. Hard to believe that over 10 years has gone by since it shut down, which is when I landed on this site.

[Frank Drackman]

>>>> my personal belief is that Wayne Miller was just plain burnt out trying to run it as a one man show.

That was my understanding too. My recollection goes back to one of the original internet discussion sites called Compuserve. Wayne originated his forum on that site and then moved to his own forum called Badger Pond.

I loved the Compuserve forum. Wayne, Woody, Bill, Jeff and the rest of the gang. I was just getting into making furniture and most of the skills I learned were assisted by members.

[Bruce Page]

That's still my work coffee mug. The logo is faded, but it still reminds me of the early days of my business when I got a lot of solid advice from that forum. Hard to believe that over 10 years has gone by since it shut down, which is when I landed on this site.

It was my favorite mug for years, I dropped and broke it a few years ago. The logo was almost completely gone.

[Lee Schierer]

I was a migrant from Badger Pond. Badger Pond was a good site and was lots of fun. However, I think that Keith and company not only picked up where the pond left off, but have gone light years beyond what started on the pond. Thanks Keith, Aaron, Jackie and the Mods for all their hard work.