A little history on gayster.com

I thought I'd give you a little history on gayster.com. As soon as Social Networking sites started to become amazingly popular in 2002, I predicted that they were not just going to be a fad. All the factors were pointing towards the need for Social Networking websites. Everyone was talking about them, people (including myself) couldn't wait to check their accounts. I personally used them for dating and had great success. Spending time online became an extremely large part of my work day. I knew that it wouldn't be long before it reached millions and millions of users.

Looking down the road, I thought- what a great idea it would be to have one specifically for the Gay & Lesbian community. I remember that day vividly. It was June 14th, 2003 (I just checked my receipt in my email). I ran to my computer and looked up to see if gayster.com was available. Sure enough, it had been bought by a domain reselling company and was selling for $69. I immediately bought it and .net. Now I had the domains. Keep in mind that I am no where near being a techie. In fact, had no technical background whatsoever (still don't). I just knew that gayster.com would be a great service to the community and had to figure out how to get it launched.So it is now mid-2003, and I contracted a web developer to begin the site. If I were to show you the original gayster.com logo, you would not believe me. To make a long story short, things did not work out with the developer and I was left with a not-so-great logo, an idea, and a dream. A dream I had to complete.

I started looking at web development firms in Chicago, and while I knew they would work out great, they were just way out of my price range at the time. It was at this time several people began emailing me asking if I would be interested in selling the gayster.com domain. It was not even an option.I was determined to find someone to finish the site. A good friend of mine referred one of his friends to me and we totally hit it off. Gayster.com was back on the road to completion! To make another long story short- this time things didn't work out either. And while I was closer along than where I was, gayster was not finished. This time was different- I was out of money.

Out of money and to be honest, a little discouraged, I was not sure what to do next. I thought about investors. But I the only connections that I had were some of my friends. They had a great interest because they saw the need for the site too. I decided to pass on their offers, however, just because I wasn't sure if it was a good idea; you know- friends and money. It was now early 2005 and gayster.com had to sit on hold for a little while until I could figure out what to do next. More and more email and phone call offers came for the domain name (some were really really big offers), but I just couldn't sell it. I just kept telling myself- 'This site needs to be finished. My dream is not for sale.'

Fast forward to early 2006 and I found the partners I was looking for. It took a little time to come to an agreement, but we were ready to go. Now I had the money, I now had to find a reputable development firm. I decided that it had to be a firm and not an independent programmer. Mid-2006 we contracted a firm in New York, who has an awesome Senior Acct. Exec. by the way.

Now, here we are early 2007. They are putting the final touches on and we are just about set to go. I am thrilled beyond words!I see there are several other Social Networking sites launching as well. I hope we all succeed. As for the upcoming new users- I would like to welcome you all in advance to gayster.com. I strongly believe that gayster will be a great service to each of you and the community.

If there is anything that I can help you with or if you have suggestions, please just let me know.

Chris