Part of GTP History - Gone Forever

[Jordan]

I'm very sad to announce that my original website, which inspired me to begin GTPlanet.net, has been deleted by MSN. The community, which was actually a "MSN Group", was a very extensive collection of GT2 information and was home to a very lively message board whose members would eventually become the "founding fathers" of the GTP Forums.

Apparently, MSN deleted the site due to inactivity, and I am very very sad about the loss. It's amazing how you can develop such a nostalgic and sentimental relationship with such an abstract thing, but that was my very first website and it's creation and eventual success as GTPlanet has changed me and influenced my life in many important ways. I put a lot of work into it and learned many lessons about web design and online community management there. It taught me how to handle troublesome users, keep things interesting, settle disputes between members, and how to deal with my competitors.

With that, I'd like to say "thanks" to that little MSN group. All of you here also owe much to that site: GTP and the community we all enjoy here would not exist today without it.

"Gran Turismo 2" MSN Group, rest in peace.

 

[Jugend]

I feel sorry for your loss, it really sucks ass to have things that mean much to you taken away at the blink of an eye.

 

[sUn]

That's really sad news. 👎

 

[eddieturner2002]

It's sad to hear it, could you use the Wayback Machine to get some screenshots of the place for memories?

 

[Jordan]

It's sad to hear it, could you use the Wayback Machine to get some screenshots of the place for memories?

Nope, they've never cached any MSN Groups, unfortunately.

 

[Cosmic]

Man , that really sucks!
Bloody MSN, they should have never deleted it, I didn't even see how it looked like in the old days when GTP wasn't borned yet =[ Sorry for your loss Jordan.

 

[pimp racer]

OUCH! Thats sucks! I am sorry to hear this! Maybe you can still retrieve it some how? Like ask them to bring it back up or something?

 

[MrktMkr1986]

Have you checked to see if Google has a cache of the page?

 

[G.T]

I feel for ya Jordan. Having something you created taken away from you forever.

 

[Solid Lifters]

The mother has died, but the child lives on.

 

[Blake]

Damn, I was very impressed with that MSN Group when I saw it a few weeks ago. It's sad to see something so sentimental to you taken away like that.

Blake

 

[cardude2004]

Jordan, you lucked out -

Google has a cached version - http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:elxXzjGzw4AJ:groups.msn.com/GranTurismo2+%2Bmsn+%2Bgtplanet&hl=en

or

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2Bmsn+%2Bgtplanet

 

[MrktMkr1986]

I figured Google would have a cache of the page... they usually save them for a while.

 

[Sharky.]

Quick! Someone save the site while you still can!

edit: But its only the front page. The other pages are lost forever.

 

[cardude2004]

Quick! Someone save the site while you still can!

edit: But its only the front page. The other pages are lost forever.

Yeah, but the front page is something.

If you go to the site it says this -

This community has been re-created in loving memory of the "Gran Turismo 2" MSN Community, which was created more than 5 years ago, until it was recently deleted by MSN on accident. Since it was originally created, the community has been moved to https://www.gtplanet.net, and if you are looking for Gran Turismo information, please visit our new site.

The original page, here on MSN, will live on in my memory as my first website and will always hold a special place in my heart. May it rest in peace.

Who typed this, Jordan or MSN Groups administrators. It sounds like it was deleted by accident.

 

[Sharky.]

I suppose. But it's still not as good as the whole group.

 

[cardude2004]

Here is the homepage in a zip file.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

It taught me how to handle troublesome users, keep things interesting, settle disputes between members, and how to deal with my competitors.

Woah, competitors ?

I guess your method works.

 

[Jordan]

Jordan, you lucked out -

Google has a cached version - http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:elxXzjGzw4AJ:groups.msn.com/GranTurismo2+%2Bmsn+%2Bgtplanet&hl=en

or

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%2Bmsn+%2Bgtplanet

Thanks, I saved a copy. It's better than nothing!

 

[Cosmic]

Nice to see it how it looked like then 👍

 

[cardude2004]

We have come a long way. Our site looks so much better now, than it did back then.

 

[Talentless]

Very unfortunate.

 

[Stinky Chicken]

NO!

Not the original MSN group that Google linked me to and thus provided my original GTP career! That's so amazingly sad.

APPEAL TO JORDAN:

Can you help me immortalise GTP in my memory forever by putting up pictures of all the versions of GTP to date?

 

[Danny]

Sad news

 

[eddieturner2002]

Can you help me immortalise GTP in my memory forever by putting up pictures of all the versions of GTP to date?

Well here's a quick find of a load of GTP versions: Link

 

[Silverzone]

eddieturner2002, that is awesome. I actually remember a couple of those.

 

[eddieturner2002]

I like to see the old Google logo every now and then. The best websites all had their un-professional looking days.

 

[Pako]

Jordan,

Just remember....it's about the journey, not the destination.

~Peace~

 

[Blackbird.]

I am very sorry to hear this Jordan. No one understands how much value that MSN group was than you will.

 

[SportWagon]

There's a type of group/forum where "activity" isn't necessarily a true measure of value. Perhaps they didn't even count read access as "activity", but only counted posts.

But even if they did count read accesses, the existence of information can be valuable even if it is not consulted very often. It's sad you weren't able to capture and relocate it in some form.