Saturday, July 01, 2006

Joe Chat - Part 2

As the year 1999 began, Coop's Chat came to an end. The quest for a replacement started right away.
"From: Yamil R. Sued
Date: Fri, Jan 8 1999

Don't panic!!!

Let's meet tonight at:

http://www.gungames.com/Chat/chat.cgi

It's my sorta one time Job's chat room!!

Meet there arround 20:00 Mountain time in the IPSC room!!

Yamil"



"COME JOIN THE CHAT!!!!

From: tasha212
Date: Sat, Jan 9 1999

If you have a more recent browser (or if not try anyway) drop on by..

http://www.tiac.net/users/tashayar/chat2.html

Yes it is parachat, but I have a more recent applet than Coop's and it has been more reliable. So far we have people from 4 countries here now!!!

See ya there!

L.A."


"From: Winch
Date: Sat, Jan 9 1999

ATTN Colonel Tamara,

All Allied Forces (and Axis) will be welcome in the Speak Easy this is a Free City deal no weapons, no politics just kick back and relax.
--
Best Regards

Winch (Alan Dawson)

“Fear not my Lord, for Baldrick has a cunning plan”
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Check out my homepage at http://www.rivendel.force9.co.uk/index.htm
& SPEAK EASY for AM chat at http://www.rivendel.force9.co.uk/chat.htm"


"From: Yoon Lim
Date: Fri, Jan 8 1999

I got a chat page, mainly used for domestic spanish chatting.
Anyway, if you want to use it

http://personal.redestb.es/yoon/chat.htm

Yoon"
In the meantime, a well-known Sandbox regular decided to create a "memorial" chat in honor of Coop's.
"From: Thor
Date: Mon, Jan 18 1999

Hey gang,

I am currently making a page dedicated in memory to Coop's Chat. There is no Thor's Reich Logo or anything that says it's Thor's Reich...it's simply Coop's Chat.

By no means am I trying to undermine other Joe Chats and I'll say if you like them then use them.

I miss Coop...I miss Coop's Chat, and until he returns I'll have a page with his name on it using the same Chat Software he used.

At 8PM EST I will update my site to include the Coop's Chat Page.

The direct link is:
http://mindspring.com/~tsadler/coop's.htm

WARNING: Do not use the CHAT on my homepage during this time or you will get seriously booted. IF you have visited my site recently (today), you will need to close your web-browser and return to see this site updated.

THANK YOU.

THOR"
It was THOR's homage to the original Coop's Chat that made it a popular spot to chat. Meanwhile, in another part of the web, another chat was getting its start.
"Where has COOPs Chat Room gone?

From: busman
Date: Sat, Jan 9 1999

Try this:
http://members.xoom.com/SGT_ZANG/JoeChat.htm
Should quench your thirst for Joe Chat!

Andy"


"Joe Chat is Moving . . .

From: John (Scalpel 6)
Date: Sun, Jan 10 1999

Trying lots of different places while Coop's Chat is down. Check out this site:

http://members.xoom.com/SGT_ZANG/JoeChat.htm

John"


"From: DUG
Date: Sun, Jan 10 1999

I endorse Zangs as the "Offical" chat spot of "DUG"......................DUG
--
ITFC #67"


"From: busman
Date: Mon, Jan 11 1999

Also the "official" BUS stop!
Andy"


"From: molly
Date: Mon, Jan 11 1999

MOST IMPORTANTLY!!! the official chat site of the MISTRESSofCHAT molly"
For the first few months of 1999, the new place to hang out and chat was either Zang's or "Coop's Chat in Memorial" (CCIM) at THOR's Reich.

Around April though, there was an attempt to move chat to Talk City. Zang's had occassional problems with people not being able to log in. Others had trouble accessing THOR's chat through their firewalls and such. Talk City, however, was easy to use and access, but for some reason never caught on.

Zang's remained the popular place to chat while THOR's CCIM was used as a backup. Eventually, the CCIM also disappeared and only Zang's was left. In fact, Coop himself came by one day to endorse Zang's as a successor to the original Joe chat.

Things sometimes got a little wild in chat. At other times they could get way out of hand. One such occassion was when an upstanding youth known to everyone as Freddy became the target of some verbal abuse. The members of the Sandbox rallied to Freddy's support. Keith Zang took this opportunity to post the long message below. I could find no better way to describe Zang's Chat than this.
"08/30/00 About Zang's from Zang

From: V. Keith Zang
Date: Wed, Aug 30 2000

Hello folks,

My name is Keith Zang. Some of you know me as WindJammer from Zang's GI Joe chat. Others know me form here or TheFrontLine mailing list.

Since 1997 I have been following the posts in the Sandbox. Back then Michael Cooper ran a chat page called Coop's. Some of the best times I ever had online were spent at Coop's.

The regulars then were DUG, Greg Brown, Michael Cooper, THOR, TM64, Scott45, Boomer, Wingnut and Ron, KevHead, Replica, and many others who I have forgotten. I think in my next post to the box I am going to call out some of you old lurkers and ask if you remember Coop's.

Anyway, at Coop's we'd joke around, talk military talk, and trade Joes. Ask DUG about his sea sled collection as he was the wheeler dealer of Chat. Greg Brown would remind us about the Cotsdwold's mass buys he was heading up- Eklypse was but a dream then- I believe.

As it turns out Coop had too many commitments to keep running the page. One day I went to the URL and got the dreaded 404 Error Page Not Found. Coop's was gone. I needed a Chat Fix. I quickly set up a chat page. I went with a military theme and called it Sgt. Zang's.

I posted to the Sandbox that I had set up a temporary chat page until we figured out where Coop was. Later on Coop showed up at Zang's and basically handed me the reins.

Since then, I have tried to pay tribute to Michael and his chat page by running a very friendly place to come and talk Joes, blow off steam, trade, laugh, and what ever you can think of. I wanted it to be as fun as his page was and I wanted a seamless transition. Well - I wanted to see my name in big flashy letters too- so much for seamless!

I wanted folks to know that I ran the page but it wasn't just my page. It is no more mine than it is theirs. I established the regulars wall. I started out buy using chevrons as the icon for each name. Then folks asked if they could have their own icon and I said "Yep -send it along in an email along with the spelling of your handle!" There are now 82 names on the regulars wall.

I have just seen the thread about bullies at Zang's and I am surprised. The first thing I need to say is that Frederic Richter is a good Joe, no make that a Great Joe! He does get teased, he does take it very well, and if you ever met him you know you cannot dowse the flame of
enthusiasm that is "Freddy."

No harm will ever come to Fred while he is in Zang's Chat. There are quite a few folks who have administrators rights besides myself- and if things get truly out of hand they will act in accordance with rules of good conduct and remove a user, and ban his IP address if necessary. I have not received any reports of folks getting booted. Believe me- when an administrator boots someone - they do tell me about it.

Taking into consideration the heatedness of this discussion I feel that someone or a group of someones have let a joke get the better of them and that others have taken a joke too far. I am asking that all parties calm down, take a breath, go back to chat and have fun. If HOOLIGANISM abounds and someone yells "Uncle!" then you gotta stop. Cool?

I am by no means gonna tell people what to say, or how to say it. I made that mistake once with DUG. I told that salty sailor he shouldn't swear in the chat room. Folks, a word to the wise, NEVER TELL A SAILOR NOT TO SWEAR! It's sacrilege.

Yes, the language can get ripe. IT'S REAL-TIME!!! Short of booting someone or privately asking them to bring down the intensity I cannot censor and wouldn't if I could. Its a place to hang out and to meet people. People who are into the same thing you are. Its not some vague 21 and over page, or Metal page, or Punk and its many interpretations. (BTW Flock of Seagulls ain't PUNK!) This is a page that is about GI Joe, his 1/6th kind, and most importantly- the people that collect. People- like - YOU.

You will notice when you go to the chat page, in red letters, it says
"Welcome to YOUR GI Joe Chat Page"

I say to you - all of you -come on by and share in the craziness. Bring your kids, if you are a kid let people know that too.

If you really want I will be happy to set up a second chat page where you can talk to people who do not swear. Another one for those who do not drink, and one for those who do drink but only lite beer, one for AT folks, one for vintage, one for 21st Century, Dragon, Canadians,
Ohioans, Pittsburghers, Polish folks, girls, boys, cats and dogs. This is all tongue -in- cheek but I do hope you take my point.

Just come on by- meet someone- and maybe invite them over to Instant Messenger if the room gets too outta hand or crowded. It is a good place and it is yours.

Thank you for your time,

Keith Zang
aka WindJammer"
Zang's Chat has since changed url but it continues to be the favored hangout of Sandboxers and still as fun as ever. You can join the frivolity on Friday and Saturday nights. Sadly, Keith tragically took his own life in December of 2002. The website and chat page are now maintained by Keith's wife, Angel.

Here is the link to Zang's Chat:
http://www.sgt-zang.com/chat/

Blog Title Change

To better reflect the content and intent of this blog, I've decided to change the title. From now on, instead of "The Sandbox Wars" the blog will be known as "The Sandbox Chronicles". Feel free to share your comments about this change.