My Time In MSN Groups

"They call us problem child/we spend our lives on trial/we walk the endless mile/we are the YOUTH GONE WILD!"  --"Youth Gone Wild" by Skid Row

     That was my battle anthem on the old MSN Groups which shut down in February of 2009.  I spent most of my early years of the internet there and would form the basis of what would become my internet "inner circle" of friends.  It was a humbling experience, knowing that I was a miniscule fish in an immense ocean of people that were just, like me, seeing what was out there.  It started with the time I spent on MSN Messenger (which I don't use anymore) and just morphed into me becoming one of the big fish in a bigger ocean called cyberspace.

     I made a few online "friends" on MSN Messenger.  There was this one named Shawnna from the state of Virginia that led me to her MSN Group called "Bitch Witch".  That's where I got my start at.  I was shy as all hell when it came to talking with people in there.  There were many boards/forums to get involved with and so very much to learn about posting pictures and other things.  So, I would learn how to be a member of a group (which at that time they were called MSN Communities) before trying to venture out onto my own.

     I would join other Communities as well.  One of which was called "Late Teens/Early Twenties".  I would become "friends" with the manager/creator of that group and she would show me more than what Shawnna did.  I would be a member of two other groups before launching my own.  Thank God I picked two pretty good ones, because I would have a graphics manager and a bullshit hunter for later in my Communities/Groups experience.  Their user names were Starmoon (Graphics) and PurpleJuliet (bullshit hunting).

     The first MSN Community I created was called "The New World Order of Web Communities".  Yeah, I know, long winded name, but it conveyed what I wanted the attitude to be for my first and subsequent groups.  I wanted to be the hottest group in MSN Communities 20s Category.  Much drama ensued in that first ever MSN Community and it wound up getting hacked into and destroyed after peaking at #26, which was first page.  That hacking made me hungry.

     I created a couple more here and there to keep what would be the core of my MSN Group going and would join others.  I would meet ShyGirl, SoonerGal and Pokey in a group called "20s Singles Anonymous".  I met Chromey and Rage in a group called Social District.  I would add others from other groups and build a pretty solid foundation of members that would lead the fifth group I would create to a height that I liked.

     The fifth group I created was called "The Kliq".  The title's connontation was exclusivity and that is what the group was.  It was exclusive to the most active members of all the other groups I had been a part of.  It had eye popping graphics, great forums and the best siggy maker in all of MSN Groups (which they were now being called).  The Kliq fought and scratched its way to #1, unseating Social District for the top spot, and then I took a well deserved vacation to offline myself for a bit.

     I would get a phone call from one of my management team.  "Drew, the group has been destroyed.  There is nothing left of it."  I ended my offline vacation and jumped back online to see what and who, if anything was salvagable.  There was a ton of drama and finger pointing, to which after it was all done, Essence of Fun was created.  Essence of Fun served two purposes.  First to keep the core of The Kliq together and second to serve as an outlet while I was constructing my opus behind everyone else's backs.

     My opus would last from September 4th, 2005 until November 16th, 2006.  It was fully ready by the time I sent the initial invite of fifty out and the graphics were more eye popping than any other MSN Group had ever had.  The group would consist of three co-founders and have a total of five managers and six assistant managers.  The Kliq was loud and proud.  This group had to be louder, prouder and more active than what The Kliq was.  This group was called simply "Youth Gone Wild" and would have at its height 256 total members.

     The three co-founders were myself, Shygirl and TinkerJo.  The other two managers were SoonerGal and Starmoon.  Kimmy_Pooh, Honey, ChicaRah, Jewels, Alyssa_Malfoy and GinnyAngels were the assistant managers of the group.  The rest of the active members would keep the group going loud, proud and very active.  We were a problem child for all other MSN Groups.  By the end of our first month, we had already hit Top 10 in the 20s Category.  What happened just two weeks after that would set the tone for the entire year of 2006 in the 20s category.

     November 17th, 2005 - The day that Youth Gone Wild hit #1.  We celebrated that whole week with a 1,000+ post week.  I was estatic.  Youth Gone Wild would stay at #1 for the next 11 months solid.  During management chats, I didn't ask what other groups out there were doing.  I would ask "How can we make ours better?"  That's all I ever asked, and we would deliver on it.  One of the suggestions was taken literally.  The suggestion would keep us at #1.  LET'S GET REAL.

     As one of the co-founders of Youth Gone Wild, I would let a bunch of drama slide before reining in whatever caused the drama to begin with.  If little sub-groups were formed and side were taken, I thoght that to be good for "business".  "Business" meaning keeping our #1 ranking for activity.  You can let a lot of little things go unchecked, but very few, if any, big things.  Something would bring the group crashing down eventually.  Until that time, I would enjoy the ride and let things unfold at their own pace.

     Looking back on Youth Gone Wild, the MSN Groups version, I have no regrets.  Youth Gone Wild lives on on Facebook.  I re-created it there for those who want to continue the ride there.  Somewhere, Youth Gone Wild will be in the back of someone's mind and they'll be like "Damn, I should have joined that group."  We were awesome then, and we're awesome still.  We've also all matured and settled down.  Those that want to get rowdy again can just listen for the call.

     Looking back on my experience in MSN Groups as a whole...I wouldn't trade it for the world.  The friends I have made are some of the coolest ever from all over the globe.  The memories I have hold a special place in my heart.  I am very thankful for the success I had as a manager.  I'm also thankful that other managers allowed me to be on their management team so I could learn and evolve as a manager myself.  So, regrets?  No.  Not a one.