I was interviewed by a writer for the Montgomery Advertiser in 1996. When the article was published, I was surprised to find that the writer identified me as an Internet guru. I didn’t think of myself in that light. I’m a documentary filmmaker and instructor but I was using the Internet before it became commonplace.
At that time I had already developed a few websites. The web page I had created to promote broadcast of my documentary about the kudzu vine had been picked up by the Yahoo directory and listed as a cool site. They had little sunglasses by the directory listing. Along with a work associate, I had created a website for my department at the University of Alabama. I had also created a couple of small web directories of my own, an outgrowth of my obsessive-compulsive leanings. And I was involved in the development of an early web community or social network for a client.
My how times change. Not too long after that interview, the University of Alabama deleted my kudzu web page and it was removed from the Yahoo directory. I have since moved it to my website at maxshores.com.
My department head hired a web development professional to do our department website. He added some stuff, then left, and the site was left dormant for years.
The client with which I was working to create an early social network died and the project died with him.
One of my web directories, Alabama Info is still around but I don’t have much time to devote to it anymore. I got married to a wonderful lady who already had two beautiful daughters. I got a life, and had a lot less time to spend on web projects.
Life has been good. I used to be an Internet guru. I’m a lot happier now.