A Personal Update from ProBoards’ Founder

[Linette]

So sad yet I'm so happy for you Patrick Clinger but we all need to move on with our lives to wherever they may lead us, I wish you happiness in wherever your next adventure may be, also I am super happy that you're still going to be here and you don't have a (add a friend) option.

Thank you for everything mostly your help in getting around here when I first got here and your patients you really are appreciated in my books and always will be. Thank you for being you Clinger.

[osnafrank]

Wishing you all the best for what lies ahead,

and thanks for creating something wonderful.

[bricabrach]

     Patrick, thank you for creating this wonderful place where we can connect with friends of like interest without the chaos-amplifying algorithms of "social" media.  Wishing you well.

[BusyMother]

Sad to see you step down but I know the community is in great hands.  I wish you all the best in your new venture.  I know you will do great in anything you do.

[Patrick [ASE]]

Jul 25, 2023 0:16:16 GMT -8 🎶Sossity🎶 said:

I was logged in here when your new account was created. I had my hand on the ban button as I waited for the imitator to make his offensive post. Then, I noticed your red name name was also logged in. Spoilt my fun as I realised the other guy was also you.😀

Post count would have given it away
Sad to see you step down, thought you'd at least stay as part of the dev team seeing how hard you worked to get it this far
It was great to see you on the meetups.

[🎶Sossity🎶]

Jul 26, 2023 12:22:24 GMT -8 Patrick [ASE] said:

Jul 25, 2023 0:16:16 GMT -8 🎶Sossity🎶 said:

I was logged in here when your new account was created. I had my hand on the ban button as I waited for the imitator to make his offensive post. Then, I noticed your red name name was also logged in. Spoilt my fun as I realised the other guy was also you.😀

Post count would have given it away

He added that later, along with the avatar and other stuff.😜

[Todge]

It's amazing to think that I've been here 19 years, and it's weird to imagine PB without you at the helm Patrick Clinger. Thank you for bringing ProBoards to us, and for making it the place it is today. I hope that you can now take a rest and watch PB continue to grow, knowing that you are the one that planted the seed, you have every right to feel proud of ProBoards.

Thanks again Patrick Clinger, good luck with your next adventure, and I look forward to seeing you around the forum in the future.

[DDude]

That is a gut punch. Proboards was a big part of my 2000s life and while I'm still here to try to get some of that nostalgic dopamine back, it's still sad to see that the general state of the internet has kind of led us to these times. Will definitely miss having you at the helm, but at least you're sticking around!

[Wesley2005]

Jul 24, 2023 12:38:51 GMT -8 VS Admin said:

Dear ProBoards Community,

I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to share some important news with you directly. As the founder of ProBoards, I have been deeply involved in shaping this platform for more than two decades. Now, nearly 2 years after ProBoards was acquired by VerticalScope, the time has come for me to step away from my official capacity at the company and embark on a new adventure. However, I am not leaving our community behind; instead, I will be joining you as a regular member, contributing to the discussions that make ProBoards so special.

I wish to express my heartfelt thanks and immense gratitude to each one of you for being an integral part of this extraordinary journey we have shared. The day I founded ProBoards, I was driven by a simple idea: to create a space where ideas could be exchanged freely, and communities could flourish organically. Looking at the ProBoards family today, I am humbled and amazed by what we have accomplished together.

Our platform has become a beacon for countless communities, a safe haven for open discussions, a home for friendship, and a platform for countless voices from all corners of the world. It was possible only because of you - our dedicated administrators, our tireless moderators, and our vibrant members who breathed life into the forums day in and day out. Your passion, creativity, and commitment have shaped ProBoards into what it is today, and for that I am eternally grateful.

As I approach my final days with VerticalScope, I am filled with a sense of pride and gratitude, but also the knowledge that the journey must continue. After my last day on July 28th, I will no longer be in control of the "admin" account on the ProBoards Support Forum. But fear not, I won't be far away.

I've created a new account, Patrick Clinger , where I will continue to be a part of this community that I so deeply cherish. I look forward to experiencing ProBoards from a different perspective and seeing the amazing things you all continue to create.

This isn't a goodbye, but rather a turning of the page to a new chapter. ProBoards has always been about more than just one person - it's about all of us. It's about every post, every thread, every conversation that contributes to the rich tapestry of our community.

Thank you all for your trust, for your energy, for your voices, and most importantly, for your support. It has been the honor of my life to be a part of building this amazing community.

As ever,

Patrick Clinger

Mr. Clinger. Since the young age of 12 I have idolized what you built.. I idolized the idea of bringing people together, through sickness and other things that have plauged me, I somewhat lost sight.. But I was never gone. I am supportive of you 100%.
I look forward to throwing water balloons at you as well. 
And for what its worth, you owe me 60 bucks.. for no reason.
I look forward to the future, because of YOU I am embarking on a journey of building my own business.... Thank you, and happy posting! 

[Artemis]

Part of me never thought I'd see this happen. ProBoards has been such a permanent fixture in my life for such a long time. One of my first-ever forums and one of the communities I still interact with.

It's been a ride that's affected me in so many ways. I still regularly talk to people all over the world that I met here, and see some irl even after what's coming up on two decades. From ProBoards I made a few of my own communities and met people that way, too. Being part of staff gave me another angle from which to appreciate everything that's been built here, and it was cool to hang out with you and see how it all happened. I remember my first PB meetup and everything since.

I'm glad you'll be sticking around in some capacity. You helped build something amazing and long lasting and I'm so glad you did.

[Wesley2005]

Jul 29, 2023 2:52:52 GMT -8 Artemis said:

Part of me never thought I'd see this happen. ProBoards has been such a permanent fixture in my life for such a long time. One of my first-ever forums and one of the communities I still interact with.

It's been a ride that's affected me in so many ways. I still regularly talk to people all over the world that I met here, and see some irl even after what's coming up on two decades. From ProBoards I made a few of my own communities and met people that way, too. Being part of staff gave me another angle from which to appreciate everything that's been built here, and it was cool to hang out with you and see how it all happened. I remember my first PB meetup and everything since.

I'm glad you'll be sticking around in some capacity. You helped build something amazing and long lasting and I'm so glad you did.

OH MY... Is that ARTEMIS!
You LOCKED my first ever thread, hahaha, I will never forget it..

I agree, amazing indeed.

[Artemis]

Jul 29, 2023 17:24:09 GMT -8 Wesley2005 said:

Jul 29, 2023 2:52:52 GMT -8 Artemis said:

Part of me never thought I'd see this happen. ProBoards has been such a permanent fixture in my life for such a long time. One of my first-ever forums and one of the communities I still interact with.

It's been a ride that's affected me in so many ways. I still regularly talk to people all over the world that I met here, and see some irl even after what's coming up on two decades. From ProBoards I made a few of my own communities and met people that way, too. Being part of staff gave me another angle from which to appreciate everything that's been built here, and it was cool to hang out with you and see how it all happened. I remember my first PB meetup and everything since.

I'm glad you'll be sticking around in some capacity. You helped build something amazing and long lasting and I'm so glad you did.

OH MY... Is that ARTEMIS!
You LOCKED my first ever thread, hahaha, I will never forget it..

I agree, amazing indeed.

Well, I've definitely made better first impressions. But hey, glad you've been around this long!

[🎶Sossity🎶]

Jul 30, 2023 22:05:52 GMT -8 Artemis said:

Jul 29, 2023 17:24:09 GMT -8 Wesley2005 said:

OH MY... Is that ARTEMIS!
You LOCKED my first ever thread, hahaha, I will never forget it..

I agree, amazing indeed.

Well, I've definitely made better first impressions. But hey, glad you've been around this long!

😂

[Wesley2005]

Jul 30, 2023 22:05:52 GMT -8 Artemis said:

Jul 29, 2023 17:24:09 GMT -8 Wesley2005 said:

OH MY... Is that ARTEMIS!
You LOCKED my first ever thread, hahaha, I will never forget it..

I agree, amazing indeed.

Well, I've definitely made better first impressions. But hey, glad you've been around this long!

Ahhhh, you were just doing what you had to hahaha,
I posted in the wrong board I think, I was so nervous to even post here back then.

[Robyn]

I must admit how difficult this has been for me. I have spent more than a week re-reading your post, and debating if I had to emotional bandwidth to respond. I am filled with honor to have been part of your journey as a member for the past few decades. The idea of writing messages on the internet, for other strangers to read and respond to, was once such a foreign idea. It still is a miracle, despite the realities of social media and new generation's exposure to the internet and devices. To think that we could find communities of people who shared the same interests, hobbies, talents and beliefs as us and casually have conversations on a daily basis is a miracle.

I've rehashed my history here before, so to put it simply, without ProBoards and the influence of the community, staff and dedication to free message forum software, I would never have explored or experimented with my hidden talents as a teenager. I also greatly appreciate the members who questioned my beliefs, my arguments and my statements. I have come a long way from believing in what my parents tell me to thinking critically on my own as an adult.

I am still in awe of the courage you must have had to create a community, a culture and a service for the public. To expose your life to this world of programming and services. To represent what many of us had dreamed of. But most of all, you stuck to your dreams and made this place thrive. You have seen uphills and downhills, technological advances and historical events in the world. ProBoards truly has been a measuring block in millions of our lives. Thank you... for everything you've done.

I am still filled with sorrow over the unfortunate pause of version 6. Version 5 came out during an important transitional period of my life from a senior in highschool to a freshman in college and from a teenager to an adult. I am still discovering new features and appreciating the leaps and bounds this version has impacted on my life. I still reflect and check in on my, admittedly dead communities now and then to reminisce and enjoy the nostalgia of my childhood once again.

Patrick, thank you for all you've done, for myself and this community. I wish you nothing but the best moving forward. I hope your creation will remain strong throughout the years, that one day my own child may be able to discover the beauty of internet forums and their communities. I look forward to seeing you more casually within our bubbles and spaces here. I cannot wait to hear how your life goes.

See you around the forums.