Hellobee Boards

Of course! I learned how to use a search engine (AltaVista - before Google) as a freshman in college and was totally overwhelmed. The world feels so different now

Yes, I looked things up in the encyclopedia instead of Google. Also true about going to the library, bookstores, and video stores. I do still go to the library all the time, though. It is free (well, sort of, we do pay a lot of taxes)!

Yes! I remember going into Blockbuster with the whole family and trying to pick out a movie! That was fun (although frustrating). We actually got dial-up pretty early (I think I was in middle-school maybe), but it was sooooooo slow. And both my brother and I were only allowed on the internet one hour a day, haha. Now I'm on it practically 24/7!

Yep. My idea of going on the computer was playing Oregon Trail forever....

Yes! I didn't use the internet until I got to college and only a couple of my friends had this newfangled internet when I was in high school. Even in college I didn't use it as much because I only used it in the computer lab in the beginning.

We went to our local video store, ran up my mom's phone bill, used Encyclopedias!

@Mrsdaredevil: YES!!!!

I do! I really liked life before the internet. I loved going to the library and renting videos.

@Mrsdaredevil: I LOVED Oregon Trail! I used to play it on our Apple IIC.

Yep, we got dial up AOL when I was 10/11ish and it was the coolest thing ever. Before that, I remember reading lots of books and going to the video store (no Blockbuster in our small town).

Hanging out at the mall/going to the movies with friends or going to each other's house to play (or to the community center during summer break) and frequent library visits.

Yes! I often laugh thinking about how I used the Encarta CD's to do papers for school!

@Mrsdaredevil: Another Oregon Trail fan here!!!

YES! We didn't have the internet until I was 17, and it was such a huge deal when we got it. I remember going to the library to research for papers and having to use the encyclopedias and card catalogs. It is so sad that kids these days won't even get references to that anymore. When we played on the computer, it was always Oregon Trail or Duke Nukem. And yeah, so many more phone calls or walking down to my friends' houses.

Yes but now its hard to remember how we dealt with everything being so slow. I especially hated reading maps when driving to new places.

I sometimes miss life before the internet as odd as that sounds. We still love going to Blockbuster to rent movies (99 cent rentals!!) and I love to unplug in the evenings. I definitely appreciate all of the conveniences though, don't get me wrong!

yes and no. we had internet in our house when i was still in elementary school and one of the things that we did with friends over were to go on AOL chat rooms. but we definitely didn't just hang out on the internet like i do with DH in the evenings now!

Yep! Library for book reports and movie rentals, talking on the phone was the only way to communicate with friends in real time, calling up stores to figure out their hours and directions. i started using AOL in high school and I remember my dad trying to teach me what a screen name was!

I do. Then I remember getting AOL and my world changing forever, lol.

Oh yes. DH and I were reminiscing about encyclopedias the other night. His family had a set, but mine didn't. We went to the library all the time.

Life wasn't so bad before the internet...I feel like it's harder to stay productive with so many media distractions! Would Thomas Jefferson et al. have made so many amazing inventions if they had the rabbit hole that is the Internet to occupy their time??