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25 Years of GreekChat!
25 Years of GreekChat!
Looking at my GC profile, I setup this first GC account on August 15, 1999. Today GreekChat crosses the 25 year mark! Seems like something we should celebrate. Maybe all month long. :) Here's a toast to all our fellow GCers, current, future & past: It's been a long ride, rough at times with various ups and downs. Here we are looking back at 25 years of experiences shared, lessons learned, impacting tens of millions of GC site visitors, hundreds of millions of pages viewed. None of this would have ever been possible without all of you here and our fellow GCers being a part of it. Thank you all for being here on GC, for sharing your thoughts, sharing your stories and for being GCers. Looking forward into the future of GreekChat, I truly do believe that the best is yet to come. And with that, let's celebrate! Some ideas for conversation in this thread... How did you first learn of GC? What is your favorite / most memorable GC story or all-time favorite GC thread? Who are / were your favorite GCers? How has GC impacted your life? And feel free to just say whatever you want in this discussion thread celebrating 25 years of GreekChat! |
Who would have thought that Greekchat would impact so many lives?
When I joined GC in 2000, my last baby had just been born. I was 46 and the baby is now in grad school. My oldest had just pledged AOII at Ga Southern. I can't count how many friends I've made, both online and IRL (I have met many). One of my daughters is Greek now because some GCers rallied after recruitment and got her introduced around; she met her now-husband at a fraternity party and they have 5 kids, thanks to FSUZeta and Penguintrax! Several of us are in a Facebook group that helps women we know rush. Countless PNMs were able to get bids because we rallied around them. The same group sent me wine carnations (none of the members are Pi Phis) when another daughter passed away. We also give moral support to each other in the group..thanks to honeychile and again, FSUZeta! Favorite thread-- Weird Rush Stories. I know y'all will be making other posts that will remind me of all the wonderful things that have happened here in the last 25 years! Thank you, John! |
Happy Founder's Day to GreekChat!
I found and joined GC in 2006. Was typing 'greek life' into the search engines to look up FSL information at different colleges. GC popped up in the search, I decided to check it out, and knew I had found my tribe. So, I have been around since recruitment was 'rush', associate chapters were 'colonies', pnms were 'rushees', etc. And, it's wild to know that those changes have happened in the last 18(!) years. GC has impacted me by showing me how much easier we IFC guys have it during recruitment! I never knew. I have made several friends offline, but miss several of the people who are no longer active on here: MysticCat, TSteven, irishpipes, penguintrax, alphafrog, and many others. Favorite threads- Weird Rush Stories, any Carnation Nation recruitment thread |
How cool is this!
This post made me go look up my statistics and look at a few threads I contributed to. I joined in 2007, and based on a post I wrote about AGDLynn when she was gravely ill, entered hospice, and then when she passed away, I joined because AGDLynn told me about the site. I still think of her often. She would have loved convention this past summer in Atlanta. There are a few folks I know on here IRL - AGDee and I became good friends largely because of this site, and have traveled together as well as stayed at each other's houses. Carnation invited me to a Recruitment Moms group on facebook, and that has also been fun. I've used the site for entertainment, and also for knowledge. Rush stories have always been fun to try to decode, particularly when I know a lot about the campus. My favorite threads, though, have been LaneSig's work on Extension, especially during the boom that happened in the 2010s. And there have been many times in a volunteer capacity I've needed some background information about specific campuses so I've utilized the NPC Recruitment threads to see which chapters are on a campus, their chapter names, and when they were installed/left campuses. That source has been more helpful/effective than any other I've tried. I don't post often, but I check the site somewhat regularly - admittedly, more often during recruitment season (i.e. now!). Very thankful for this forum! |
That’s really cool!
The ridiculous train wreck threads are always a good time. https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showt...=120143&page=2 Sometimes you hope the person is a troll because it would be sad if someone was out in the world, acting like this IRL… I joined in 2010 after reading a book about sororities that I found randomly when I was getting my car repaired. It brought back a lot of good memories so I looked up things online and found this site. I thought, no one is going to be from my area or have ever heard of my school…but then I discover one of the mods is from the state school right up the road (hi 33!) It’s cool to read about different experiences- if it’s huge SEC NPC recruitment or the NPHC experience. It’s nice to be around people who see Greek Life as a lifelong experience and not just for college. I also will happily take any opportunity to reminisce about college lol |
I was trying to do more research about Greek life overall and found this place. The information is insane here and everyone here is so informative.
While I don’t have one it has to be the “weird rush stories” thread when through an experience a girl in my chapter had, we had to expand the 5 B’s to 6 to add bail! How do I pick! Honestly I love you all so much! It taught me so much about the various Greek councils and the more logistical side of recruitment. Plus, this inspired me to volunteer with my own organization as an alumna. |
Oh goodness, where does the time go??
I'm not sure how I first found GC. I'm guessing I must have found it in an internet search. There have been many wild and zany happenings around in those 23 years - Ho Be Lookin' Like Predator, Gamma Chi, DITY, pink sequins, and many more. Though, Weird Rush Stories never failed to entertain. I've had a chance to meet many GCers over that time and I am still friends with many. Here's to 25 years and may there be 25 more! |
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So, I learned of it because one of the chapters I was working with as a volunteer were telling me about things a member was posting here and they wanted to take membership action on it based on her posts. It was the first of MANY forum or social media complaints among sisters. I joined thinking it was going to be a shit show, but LOVED it when I got here. They did not take membership action against that member. The trainwreck threads were always good but James posted one at the holidays that I know affected many of us deeply about appreciating having family as he told his story. I always wonder what happened to him. Favorite GCers? Of course all of the Alpha Gam sisters I met because of this site. I ended up meeting many of them in person at conventions and things because of this site and am facebook friends with them now. And of course, as DoctorD mentioned, we became very close and she became one of my confidants and best friends. Other faves- OTW, DeltAlum, James, KSigKid, Sciencewoman, christiangirl, agzg, cheerfulgreek, SWTXBelle, oh shoot- there are too many to name and I'm friends with some of them on FB now too! Apparently enough that I've been here 21 years. My kids were 7 and 9 when I joined? They are 28 and 30 now. Crazy to think about. It's been the place I come when there's a big news event like 9/11, hurricanes, earthquakes, shootings, etc. It's like Cheers- you want to be where everybody knows your name (or nickname?). PS: I posted a link to this thread on the Greekchat Facebook page. Maybe it will bring some folks out :) |
Wow! Time flies! This thread has brought me out of lurking.
I was an embarrassingly-dramatic, first-gen American, college student figuring out how to join a sorority under the nose of my strict parents. I did a google search and found GC. My first account was started 8-15-2007 (redraidergirl) so my GC presence is 17 years old. The same age I was going into college. What is your favorite / most memorable GC story or all-time favorite GC thread? Pinksequins was a beautiful disaster, along with “Sigma Kappa Epsilon Pi”. I also loved seeing where PNMs ended up. I love(d) the badge trends thread, it got me to bring up the idea and now we have a few special version badges for our board of directors. I love AOEforMe. We had the chance to serve on the (now called) board of directors for the same term. There are others I admired from a far for their dedication to their organizations. How has GC impacted your life? I guess my story is a little different since GC directly impacted the org I ended up in. After a failed spring rush attempt, I started an engineering sorority on campus with the intention of joining a national org. AOEforme pm’ed after seeing my story, and long story short, we ended up being a chapter of AOE. An an alum, I had the chance to serve on the board of directions and now volunteer as an advisor for my chapter. My chapter is about to hit our 15th anniversary in 2025 and we are constantly growing. :) I always appreciated the different perspectives I got from everyone, including the wise and kind words (that took me longer than I want to admit), about my abusive college ex-bf and for a little while the women of GC were the only support network I felt like I had. I’m still learning and growing, but I can definitely say GC has a part to play in how my life turned out. |
I found GC during the dark days after 9/11. I googled variations of Greek Life, lurked for about a month, then bit the bullet.
There have been some wild times, wild stories, and a LOT of Panhellenic/Interfraternity spirit. I've met several of the GC ladies from PA, and a few others from around the country. Many of these friendships have continued since, either on Facebook or IRL. There were GC members at my wedding! I cannot believe that I'm the first to mention the PINK SEQUIN HOSE recruitment! http://www.greekchat.com/gcforums...ad.php?t=88442 Remember the HUGE GREEK LETTERS used for Recruitment threads? And then, there was the whole Prune Tacos scenario! :eek: Truly, the Recruitment & the train wrecks are always the most fun, but I enjoy the Song & Word Association threads, too. FSUZeta & Carnation have been as close as many of my own sisters, and I will treasure their friendships forever. PGD-GRAD & Phrozen Sands are high on my very long list of GC people I'd like to meet. Thank you, John, for making GC work for so long! |
Wow! This topic got my attention on FB and brought me out of my periodic lurking. My history is incomplete because I did a silly social purge back when I graduated and was looking for a job.
I joined back in 2003 and this place was ridiculously valuable in helping me gather the courage to go through COB. I think I found it from random google searches about sororities when I was considering going through formal recruitment. My favorite threads were definitely the Weird Rush Stories. |
Right back at you, honeychile. Definitely a favorite and I would like to meet you too. Mad cool. TonyB06 who no longer posts is also a favorite, and of course CG (cheerfulgreek).
The whys? honeychile = mad cool and also funny when she post SLAPSHOT! in the word thread Lmao! CG = Bubbly, friendly, with crazy high energy, and funny as hell, especially her Trump rants. TonyB06 = frat brother with mad wisdom. I miss him. I wish he’d come back. My favorite thread was the D&R thread. We had great conversations for days on that thread. |
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Hello! There was a post on FB about this thread and I thought maybe I would pop over. 😀😀 |
Holy cow, has it been that long??
I don’t remember how I first found GC. It was shortly before 9/11. A couple of my favorites are the “weird rush stories” thread and the “pink sequin hose” story. |
How did you first learn of GC?
I first learned of GC (GreekChat) looking for Greek Chat, lol. Ok, so I used to post on an ethnic Greek chatroom, and then it closed down, but this site showed up, which seemed like in its place. I thought you had to be in a greek organization to join, because many of us ethnic Greeks were being told we were on the wrong site. So, I made something up, thinking I needed to in order to stay. Long story short, here I am 18 years later. :p What is your favorite / most memorable GC story or all-time favorite GC thread? I liked the “Everything Geek Goes Here” thread. I think that’s what it was called. I’m a major nerd so I really, really liked that thread. Who are / were your favorite GCers? Current GCers: PrettyBoy, AGDee, Scienwoman, aggieAXO, Phrozen Sands, and John. Past GCers: agzg, Alumiyum, als (I forget the other part of her username), Tony, DaemonSeid, knightshadow, and I’m sure I’m missing a few others because I can’t remember their usernames. How has GC impacted your life? Let’s just say I’m very blessed. :) Oh, and my favorite train wrecks were the ones I started for my own amusement. People used to get so mad at me, especially on the primate museum train wreck thread I started. People thought I was serious, but I was SO trolling, lol. I was literally sitting in front of my computer in tears laughing so hard! Hilarious! thinking about it. |
I just now remembered it but I have a new favorite thread — all of the craziness with the fake KD and her pageants. That was peak internet silliness.
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OTW asked me to pass on her sentiments:
Sending you all aloha today. Because of GC I met so many sorority women across the country and I am close friends with them today. I went on an epic cross country road trip with my Tri Delta Boo. I have attended their weddings. They have attended mine. All the best. Please share this with John if you can, OTW is long gone but I still would love to share my gratitude for keeping it up as long as he has. |
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Happy 25th anniversary to GreekChat. I stumbled across GC by accident when the old GreekSource.com domain got re-routed to this website in the fall of 1999. I would officially join GC on January 26, 2000. Until now, my last post on this site was 12 years ago.
My most memorable GC threads were too numerous to mention, I was all over the place. I would say that my favorite GCer was naraht, since I have been in consistent contact with him only through virtual means only (I have never met him in person) since 1995 when we were on APO-L listserv and I still stay in contact with him via an APO Facebook group. But as to how GC impacted my life, well, let's just say it had helped me get through the workday much quicker; and I'm not nearly as outspoken as I used to be. OK, that's my 11 (or 25) cents. Back to lurking... |
How did you first learn of GC?
It must have been when I was searching for Greek information when I was living in Tennessee and working to found an alumnae NPC group. What is your favorite / most memorable GC story or all-time favorite GC thread? The weird rush stories! Who are / were your favorite GCers? I am afraid of leaving some out, because now I know quite a few from the FB group referenced by Carnation and know them by their IRL names! They are incredible women, and I am very blessed to have them in my circle. I've met several wonderful Gamma Phis here, too. In the aftermath of my niece passing away, they were there for me, and I am forever grateful. How has GC impacted your life? It has broadened by knowledge of other Greek councils and brought amazing people into my life. Thank you, John, for something which has enriched my life. |
How did you first learn of GC?
I'm not really sure, but I must have been googling something about recruitment and stumbled across it. I lurked for a while before I finally joined in 2014 - my 10th Anniversary coming up in September! What is your favorite / most memorable GC story or all-time favorite GC thread? Definitely weird rush stories. There was a thread years ago about what you admire most about a different GLO than your own and that was pretty cool. I also loved the thread about haunted houses. Who are / were your favorite GCers? I am in awe of all of the knowledge on this site. I am afraid I'll leave someone out, so let's just say that I enjoy everyone's posts! I truly thank Shadokat for her tireless work on the recruitment threads and Lanesig for his work on the Extension/closures thread. How has GC impacted your life? Well, it's caused several late nights reading recruitment stories! But, I've also learned a lot over the last 10 years about different schools. It seems like I learn something new every time I'm on here. Thank you John for 25 years! |
Someone mentioned the whackjob fake KD and I started thinking about others here. A lot of the whackjob threads had to be deleted because the psychos started threatening GCers. Like the V's :mad:, whose threads and fake usernames were almost all trashed.
Here's one, though! Anyone remember the fake ADPi who showed up at recruitment at Montevallo and stayed with the chapter? And she showed up here on GC and pretended she was someone else who supported her (as adpialum1), and her FB page was loaded with ADPi this and that. https://greekchat.com/gcforums/showt...t=BabyBearADPi We know 2 women IRL who were actives in that chapter when this happened, and they were extremely creeped out--even though they had a restraining order. Then the woman made it back to their dorm anyway. |
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I know, right? What kind of person decides that she wants to be Greek so just moves in with a chapter for recruitment week? And hosts a party for the local alum club, who thinks she's an alum so this is wonderful?
And when she's busted, posts on FB that she hopes to get into AGD or Phi Mu and actually tries to get into their dorms too? |
I wonder what happened to her. You don’t seamlessly move on from that.
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All we heard was that (this is really true) she joined a biker club and started calling herself Sunshine.
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The Chuck Norris Recruitment Thread (even though it's been edited over the years) is always a fun read.
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I didn’t even know about Prunetacos…one day I was randomly reading an article about Ivins and I saw “Greekchat!” It was a weird moment.
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Just happened to log on today, and saw this post. Happy 25th, GC! Congratulations, John!
My favorite posts that I can remember were: - the Rush Stories (when they first started) - the beauty pageant KΔ pledge who was never initiated - realizing that a serial killer had researched and posted on here - discussing how Greek life is portrayed in the media: as in the book Pledged or the TV a show Greek…etc. I’ve met several GCers over the years, and I still consider a few of them friends. I can’t remember how I found this site, but I remember John asking me early on to be a Moderator, which I declined. |
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How I found GC- I use to work overnights and was trying to stay awake at 3 am- I found GC and was obsessed, then 9/11 happened and it was down for several days (I can’t remember how long but felt like an eternity). I met some good people on here and am still in contact with a couple of them. I joined when I was 29 and now am 52- so crazy-feels like yesterday |
John, I got your email. Somehow it even skipped my special GC filter (that I keep so I can see if any of my favorite threads have been updated) and hit my proper inbox, really encouraging me to come out of the woodwork. You continue to create magic, 25 years later.
Nice to see myself in the "former" gc'ers category for some. :) While I do log in a few times a year to catch up, I'm more connected folks without usernames on Facebook and through other volunteer networks. I joined when I was a collegian for party ideas and it's safe to say I would never have become an engaged alumna (well, to the level I am now, which has waned some in the wake of motherhood) without examples like AGDee, DoctorD, and AGDLynn showing me all the many ways one can contribute as an alumna. My favorite thread ever was when christiangirl told us she had crossed DST. |
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I joined when I was in graduate school. Since my account was hacked and I had to form a new account, I don't know when I joined (and I lurked a while before joining anyway). But it had to be before August 2001, when justamom started "They're having a blast," her daughter's LSU rush thread. I was riveted! It was better than Survivor!
I also have strong memories of the introduction of RFM, and how quickly WRCs got bigger and systems expanded at campuses following RFM. breathesgelatin was my favorite poster to learn from. What a mind and what a heart. She had one of the best rush threads, too. |
As for favorite posters…I really liked als! She is a veteran, too. I hope she’s out living her best life.
Also, I’ve always enjoyed the sarcastic ones. The ones with the best comebacks to trolls…Knight Shadow comes to mind! |
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breathesgelatin is living in Austin and has 2 daughters. |
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My favorite posts were from Sheet Cake, but the Chuck Norris thread was epic. Some of the funniest were about PNMs who had been dropped that showed up to bid day thinking they wouldn't be noticed. I can't remember how I found GC but I joined in 2007 when GC was in it's heyday. That lasted about 5 years until a few trolls (one in particular) started to do internet searches on many members and threaten them. Judo chop!:D I feel I have met some lifelong friends on GC. I was to meet up with OTW when I was in Hawaii but her daughter decided to send her into labor the day I arrived. Some members are still here, some drop in periodically like I and some, sadly, have passed (RIP AGDLynn and Tom Earp). |
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As for me... I came here in 2002, was active, and have been on and off for the past decade. GC informed me about what the NPC sororities are and ultimately started me on my path to becoming a sorority woman. |
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