this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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I remember ICQ
Uh oh!
I hear those words.
30250969 was my user id.
When I try to remember mine I get confused with my SSN.
16577270 was mine
8833052 was mine. I was early
I'm so happy I'm not the only one.
25553477 was mine, before it was stolen by some russian.
My sweet memory of an instant messenger not trying to fuck with you (lots of incoming messages were, though, but those were sometimes real people ; I actually know of people who met each other via ICQ contact directory and have a happy marriage ; don't think anything else has come close).
Other than that, it was just a better time. WCIII, Perfect World, WoW, Travian. Forum-based text roleplaying games (LOTR and HP). And ICQ as the way people would communicate, which would transcend interests fading, forums dying etc.
Pre-MS Skype was nice too, though.
OG Travian was the shit. I made a lot of friends there that persisted long after I left the game.
Well, for me mostly not that far - but the only time I was in an alliance close to the top has indeed left some people in my buddy list.
Other times it was mostly me and my IRL friends and their friends and so on in alliances I'd be let into.
But - yeah. For some people it was like real war, with all the logistics and obligatory setup of a second and a third so that your account would never be AFK when a few thousands off troops with catapults are coming for ya. I still don't understand how they'd have the time, with university and school and work.
I tried to recover an ancient icq account but it looks like the company sold and nuked all the old accounts. Bummer, was hoping all my mid 90s friends might still be there.
Also changed protocol. Old UINs were, I think, usable for some time.
My ICQ UIN is only 7 digits