Randy Cassingham's Blog

So YOU'RE the guy who corrupted the inter-net! [grin] Always wondered who was first...

Too bad folks who followed didn't adhere to the same standards and code of conduct to which you subscribe.

I've read you for, hmmm, several years now and truly enjoy your writing.

So, how did you "aggressively promote" the nascent newsletter?

What did you expect or predict the growth would be? Did the growth meet or exceed your estimate?

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I originally anticipated being "aggressive" about promotion by sending out press releases -- but I didn't have to. The Internet was bursting into the public's consciousness, and all sorts of magazine and newspaper reporters were looking for SOMETHING to write about. There was very little actual content online in the mid-90s, and the content I was putting out was of particular interest to reporters (since I said what they wished THEY could say when writing the stories!), so I ended up with a lot of press coverage -- much more than I anticipated getting with press releases.

Growth thus ended up a bit higher than I expected. -rc

Besides agreeing with the other two comments (especially Jim's), I have been trying to remember when and where I first heard about your newsletter. I know I've been through several ISP's and screen names while getting your funny comments. So what? So keep up the good work.

One question: Since there are so very, very many (seems to me) people who take way too much literally, how do you keep your sanity during the ridiculous attacks you receive from the sober-sides? Kudos to you for being able to that.

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I'm simply entertained by it -- at least, most of the time (it can certainly get old sometimes). Their letters just end up being part of the entertainment for many readers. -rc

I've enjoyed your newsletter for several years and realy enjoyed this brief 'where it all began'. I look forward to your blog.

Like Igor, I can't remember where or exactly when I first heard about This Is True. I suspect it may have been one of those early computer magazine articles, as I distinctly remember subscribing from my uni account, and given my memories of those old green screen terminals we had to use, I suspect it was in 1994... I'd be interested to know when. I don't suppose you've kept the records?

13 years later, I'm proud to be a premium subscriber, and pay you back (even just a little) for all those laughs!

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Indeed my records don't go back that far. Even if they did, I wouldn't be able to check without your then-address. I figure anyone who remembers the title being "This Just In" is a true old-timer, and I often do hear from people who remember it. It had that title from June 1994 through April 1995. -rc

A fascinating story; it's always good to get a glimpse of an idea from another person's mind. But interestly enough, the inability of your associates to understand, even as you explained it to them, ties back to your articles about Zero Tolerance in schools. Not only is "thinking outside the box" something that is frowned upon, it is brutally beaten out of students. Even with success as your proof, many will insist that it's just a fluke and can't be duplicated. In any case, congratulations on your inspiration during the early days of ARPAnet and thank you for making it a reality.

I'd love to hear more on how it all started. Your last line "And my friends still didn't get it. They thought I was crazy. But I pressed forward." left me looking for the link to the next page. What happened when you pressed forward? How did it all come together?

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Continue reading the older posts right here in this blog. It's all there. -rc

"Invented" for profit e-mail publishing?

Tidbits beat you by a few years. Issue #1 was published 1990.

I understand Tidbits is the second longest running internet (for profit) newsletter (I don't remember the longest running one).

True is fun and you were certainly one of the earlier ones, but "invented"? Almost.

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My understanding from Adam is that Tidbits was not formed as a for-profit, and even today subsists on "contributions" from readers. I don't call that a commercial operation. -rc

Like others here, I really enjoyed reading about the genesis of "Randy's Most Excellent Adventure."

To me, as a reader, it matters not whether you genuinely deserve the crown for inventing anything. Of course, I realize the bragging rights that confers. In *any* case, you certainly are a pioneer -- that's something no one can dispute or take away from you.

Guess your friends at JPL might have been brilliant at guiding spacecraft (or whatever they did) but had little of the business visionary about them! ;-) (Of course, I know engineers who wish their excellent businessman boss would stay to hell out of their way.)

I love your stuff. So do people I've told about it. And I've plugged it on my own website, generating some appreciative e-mail from folks who discovered your sites there.

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Thanks for helping to "spread the word" in your part of the world, and your part of the Internet. -rc