Twenty years ago

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It was twenty years ago this week
Erin made a friendly place to seek
It's been going in and out of style
But it's guaranteed to raise a smile
So may I introduce to you
The site you've known for all these years?
BigCloset is your friendly place!

It's true. I began BigCloset the week before US Thanksgiving in 1999. It's been the internet's friendly place to read, write and discuss TG fiction ever since. I'm twenty years older and I have helpers now and I'm not coding everything by hand but I hope it is still the same friendly place.

Hugs to you all,
Erin

Yes, we get by with a little help from our friends
With a little help from our friends <--hint

Comments

You're still up, that says a lot

BarbieLee's picture

Discussing the percentages of businesses that fail the first six months, first year, first three years, they stay pretty close to the same. A high percentage never make it. After three years the failure curve starts dropping like a parabola. We can mention Bill Gates and Erin in the same breath as over achievers and be right. Congrats Erin, and lots of hugs.
I'm not going to mention I still have mine but it is parked so I joined the other end of the spectrum. No Gates ribbons for me.
always,
Barb
Life is too short to take seriously. Enjoy it so when the time comes, "Boy what a rush that was!"

Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl

Thanks a million x20

Patricia Marie Allen's picture

I've been a member for just over 15 year. I'm not sure just how long before that I was a lurker. But 20 years is pretty impressive. In that same time span, a number of sites have gone by the wayside and/or put into read only status. The other big name site (not nearly as friendly or offering near as much) has changed hands and made no significant upgrades.

Kudos to you and your staff.

Hugs
Patricia

Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt

Congrats

Congratulations on having the website turn 20 years old. That is no small feat.

Thank You So Much

I got my first Computer around 90 and published my first online TG Fiction in 2001 at Storysite. I thought I had moved to BCTS before but the best information I can find on the site says 5-21- 2007. My writing at Storysite was awful and I am sure that Crystal edited a lot of it. When I moved over to BCTS, I am sure that you or someone did the same here. Hopefully my wordsmithy is good enough now that it is not so offensive.

Erin, I appreciate all your hard work and your putting up with my PTSD meltdowns. Hopefully they are less now.

Much Peace

Gwen

This site truly is awesome

Erisian's picture

Erin,

This site really is awesome and the userbase fantastic. The encouragement and support for those of us crazy enough to throw words and fantasies at a screen for others to read is simply wonderful here.

Thank you!! :)

- Erisian

Thank you

Andrea Lena's picture

my home

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Happy Anniversary

Daphne Xu's picture

Happy Anniversary, Erin and BigCloset! I lurked here off and on, some years before I first posted here, at Elrod's suggestion, a story I'd already posted on Fictionmania.

-- Daphne Xu

wow

I had not known BCTS has been around since 1999.... mind you I had no residential internet until I was 16.... which was 2005... I first found here, i dunno (dispite faking my age at the time) 2006/7 ish.
I came across it, oddly after my second or third radom tg read online... I was looking for a continuation to a dark story, for a happy ending & found it....
My first tg story I ever read was pink susan's 'the reluctant boy/girl' it is strange how that lead me to here.... this site is by far my favourite <3

Amelia Rosewood Year two.png

With Love and Light, and Smiles so Bright!

Erin Amelia Fletcher

41 Thousand Plus

erin's picture

BCTS has 41K+ TG stories and chapters. I'm not sure that's the most, but it is quite a lot and it grows by over 3K a year. :)

No, I haven't read them all. :)

Thanks everyone,
Erin

= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.

Two Golden Opportunities

Daphne Xu's picture

Ready Reads provides two great opportunity for finding old stories which some of us newer ones never read, or some of the older ones never got around to reading. One searches for works to nominate for the upcoming Ready Reads entry. One also reads stories in past Ready Reads entries.

-- Daphne Xu

Four score ...

Well, not exactly that old, only one so far.

Congratulations from a relative newcomer (only eleven years)!

Bru
Proud provider of some 1.8 ‰ of the stories here

Congratulations to BCTS

Robyn B's picture

My account details page says that I have been a member for 14 years and 4 months.

Like Patricia Marie Allen, I was a 'lurker' beforehand.

I remember the ticker that was on the homepage counting over the hits being around 35,000. I am checking out Top Shelf almost every day for the latest postings.

Can I please encourage members to help via Patreon. A regular contribution can help the team plan their budget with a greater degree of certainty about regular support...

Robyn B
Sydney