Getting To Know You: The Tomato Nation Demographic Dance Party
Hello, friends, and welcome to The Tomato Nation Demographic Dance Party, in which 1) you tell me a little bit about yourselves, 2) I give away a few iPod Nanos, and 3) in the interests of everyone’s safety, I supportively applaud your dance stylings but stay quietly in my chair.
Why should you fill out the questionnaire? Well, I have an anecdotal idea about you guys and what you get up to, but I’d like to sell a few (tasteful, unintrusive) ads and sponsorships on the site — so that TN can support itself and continue to offer the internet’s cat-hairiest advice, fund-raising, and cultural commentary — and in order to do that, I need specifics. It’s not a very long form; you’ll find a couple of fun questions at the end; and you could win an iPod Nano in the color of your choice!
The data you give me will remain anonymous. If you choose to share your name and email address, I won’t sell it to anyone or otherwise bruit it about.
(And if you would like to purchase an ad or sponsorship on TN, email me: bunting at tomatonation dot com.)
Edited 3/1/11 to add: Much as I would like to give away Nanos, I misspoke — I meant Shuffles, which are less pricey, which means I can give away more of them. I hope nobody feels misled; sorry for the confusion/senility.
Ready? Let’s dance!
Tags: administralia
I’ve been reading TWOP since…god, like 2000. Wow. But I didn’t find Tomato Nation until about 2004. In fact, I think it was while I was in Australia and homesick (hence, reading TWOP which led me to TN). So my TN “membership” is now 7 years old.
You kids get off my damn lawn.
Any grandfather you like. If you pick mine, tell him I hope he understands why I’m dining with Freddie.
Hee. It was all I could not to choose Barry, Freddie, George *and* my Granddad. I doubt we would hear much from Freddie, though; probably he’d be flirting with the Cloon the whole time.
All I could DO, of course. Ack. I’m old and forgetful.
I found TN through a random link somewhere and got totally hooked on the Vine. It probably was in late 2004, at least I remember reading TN when I was bored at my internship in Germany during the summer of 2005.
I also once sent a Vine letter about my drama-queen (now ex-)friend, back in 2005 or 2006 when I was still a student.
Man, 6 years, such a long time.
I would totally want to dine with my paternal grandfather, to ask him why he got my grandmother pregnant and left her to cope alone with the child. And of course, to confirm he really was the person my dad thinks he was. Grandma never spoke about it, and she and the presumed granddad are both dead, so this will forever be a family mystery.
10+ here too, since I was probably eighteen! And I’ll be thirty in two months. Jeez. I was on Chick Click all the time and linked from there to Hissyfit, and then from there to here.
I feel the need to mention that my first Vine correspondence (c. Sept. 2000; car accident resulting in scars, nerve damage) also netted me the famous TN “red menace” t-shirt, and I do believe I still have it around. At the time, only larges were available, so when the better half and I got together, it kind of became his by default. (Does anybody else remember the TN rubber bracelets and magnets and pens? OK, now I sound like a creepy fan-girl.)
I wrote in last spring on an Ask the Readers (Scrabble computer game music and a weird comedian from the ’90s) and y’all found the music almost right away. (I’m pleased to report that I finally found the comedian, too: Josh “J. Elvis” Weinstein, late of MST3K. I googled “tub full of wet Cheetos” and there it was in his Twitter feed, referring to John Boehner.)
…I don’t know what my point was.
Right: I freaking adore this place. I think I found it through Xeney(?) back in late ’99 or early ‘aught-aught.
I had to think about it, but I’m a 10+ too…I remember reading TN at my first job out of college. I think I found it through Mighty Big TV, back when…as I recall, I was looking for West Wing recaps and stumbled across the site. Man, I feel old.
Not only am I 10+, but I started reading TWoP when it was Dawson’s Wrap. I found out about it through – follow the logic here – Soap Opera Digest. I think it had something to do with Anthony Stewart Head’s coffee commercials?
I have wanted to know for a LONG time where in the world we all are. Would it be possible to put up some kind of Tomato Nation map o’ the world where we could stick in little (virtual) flags. I have always wanted to know if there are any fellow TNers in my part of the universe. Am I dreaming? Is that even a thing?
Oh God, I remember how I found Television Without Pity now. I was about 16 so this would have been 1999/2000. I don’t remember why but I was looking for info about Party of Five and found the recaps of the final season. I’d never read anything like that and wasted more than an hour on my brother’s computer, surfing through the recaps, and laughing my ass off. (This was back when we were on dial-up internet. My poor, long-suffering brother). So now I *really* feel old.
I remember when Sarah added comments to Tomato Nation! That was a red-letter day (heh heh– sorry for the pun).
oh my word, add me to the “unable to count straight” list, if I read about Don, I’ve been here waaaaaaay longer than I supposed.
Sars, that’s what you get for throwing such a great party — no one wants to leave.
also, reading through the comments, I realized I’m older than the last five commenters put together, so stay off my lawn, you young whippersnappers
You know, I probably should have picked the “10+” years option, too…I seem to remember having TN magnets on the metal cabinets in my cubicle somewhere around Y2K.
But I’m not absolutely sure of that.
Oh, damn, all you people pointing out how long ago September 11 was made me realize I’ve been reading since before then, too.
I FEEL SO OLD.
I’m another of the 10+ crowd. (Wow. That makes me feel old.) I’m pretty sure I got here by way of Fametracker—that’s where I spent most of my online time, back in the day.
I love the Nation for introducing me to Donors Choose, for helping me track down the name of a ten-minute play I read eight years ago, and for keeping me entertained during my long commute, thanks to the GBC. This place rocks.
Member of both the “40+” and “10+” clubs, here. I found TN because Sars guest-wrote on another site I used to read, and she included a link. That was pre-MightyBigTV/TWOP, pre-DHAK. Through Sars’s site links, I found Hissyfit and a bunch of other places, too.
Man, that’s little trip down Memory Lane.
I was hoping I could find the exact date of my entree into TN, because I was pretty sure it was on gchat, but I think I’m just imagining it was on gchat, which was introduced way too recently, and it was actually on (!!) AIM. (I still know I’m not a 10+ member but I’m getting up there.) There was some reference to “Death Is Not an Option” and I was all, “Uh, what’s that?” and the rest is history.
I should’ve mentioned that not only do I like raisins, I also rooted for oatmeal for the win. And the survey defaulted to 40+ for me, which freaked me out. Not that it’s not true – but thanks a lot, survey; you couldn’t even token-ask for some ID?
I could’ve clicked a much higher than 40+ age bracket if there was a bracket for each decade. Hello, AARP? I think it was the cat stories that originally led me to TN, ‘way back when I only had 1 or 2 kittehs, but it was the Ghost Monologues that turned me into a daily reader. And, like many others, I’m amazed at how much TV time I have to ‘fess up to. But it does include the morning news and weather, and a lot of “don’t want to listen to the cats clomping around the house” at night.
Lately I’ve been hooked on the Discovery and History channels: Mythbusters, American Pickers, Pawn Stars, Oddities, Ice Road Truckers:World’s Deadliest Roads, Swamp People, Modern Marvels, and…THAT’s why I’m up to nearly 40 hrs. a week. I need for springtime to come so I won’t be cooped up by the ice and snow.
Holy crap, I didn’t do the math and realize I’ve been here 10+. Whoopsie.
I remember Television Without Pity was mentioned in a TV Guide article, I think about Survivor, in the early 2000s…I checked that out and from there followed to the Nation. Its hard to remember exactly, because I’ve gone through the whole site and read everything from the beginning (er, more than once). I’m in the 4-10 column.
And I think I’ve had at least three Ask the Readers and one general advice Vine printed.
Does it count when you use your tv to watch all your new Film Club DVDs in a row? Because I’m doing that. Wild Women Of Wongo for the Win!
Sars — for you, I will obtain an elf. And talk to it (him? her?). And I will search for my Freak Flag, which *will* be flown.
I’m accommodating like that. :)
Oh man, I just realized that I clicked 7-10 years when I should have clicked 10+. Somebody mentioned “pre-Don” upthread and I thought “Doh! That’s me, too.” Sorry!
Another member of the 10+ club. Which means I was about 12 when I found TN — it was well before 9/11 and I turned 14 a month after that happened. That’s pretty unbelievable, considering I can probably think of two other websites I still visit from back in those days. Either they’re gone or they’re no longer interesting. TN is still very much alive and interesting. Cleeeeearly.
I am yet another member of “so, it’s clearly 2005 because I’m still that age, so 4 – 10 years, right?”…club. That is a thing. How old am I, again? And how on Earth did I find this site?
I started reading TN after I started reading TWoP. I started reading TWoP in about 2003, when I was in my first real job out of college. I’m not sure how long it took me to start reading TN, but even if I started in 2003 (and I don’t think I did), that puts me in the 4-10-year group. I had a Vine letter published in around 2006, I think (it was boring, about apartment-hunting) – my prize choices were pens or magnets. I chose the latter, but I think I lost them in a move.
Also, I like raisins. Always have. And I went through a lean time when the recession first hit, and raisins are cheap (you can buy a six-pack of the store brand for less than $2), so I really came to appreciate them then. And I would dine with the prez, and hit on him.
Okay, I’m going to have to distinguish myself, because how many Elizabeths are there?
I clicked “10+” because I really wasn’t sure and I wanted the long-timer’s cred (how pathetic is that?) but now the mention of 9/11 reminds me that yes, I was here for that, and what the heck?
@Rain and others: how did we find this site? It’s like it’s always been here.
Count me as another surprised decade-long fan. I realized I picked up TN during a stint of unemployment in late 2000/early 2001. Crikey, how we’ve all grown!
I spent waaay to much time thinking about the “who would you have dinner with” question. It came down to Freddie or The Cloon, and I ended up going with Clooney because I tend to really overthink things when one of the options is dead. Am I dining with zombie Freddie? Going back in time to when he was alive? Is he in the present but alive just for this dinner? Or am I dining with Freddie Mercury’s ghost? So many questions!
Another here who’s been visiting since the 90s but mucked up the “years reading” question.
AnotherElizabeth, the Elizabeths and Jennifers should wrestle for “most popular ‘it was unusual when you were born, honey!'” name on TN.
I would buy an official TN Freak Flag. Just sayin’.
Sars, when did Mighty Big TV become TWOP? That would help me narrow down the timing. Because, since I checked the 40+ box, I can’t remember crap.
10+ AND 40+ woot!
And yeah – “For Thou Art With Us”
But the best for me was ALWAYS “Down Boy”. With Sars’ permission I used to make copies and give them to my girls at the high school where I worked as a librarian (being a librarian is great – you can get away with all kinds of stuff other teachers can’t). Even went so low as to sharpie the URL in the bathroom stalls. Heh.
@Still: I *think* it was January 2002.
@K. “And I would dine with the prez, and hit on him.”
Thank you! I hesitated to go with that one, because it didn’t seem cool enough. I finally told myself to shut up because I wouldn’t dine with just any president, only Obama.
I’d hit on him, too, if I thought I had a chance in hell. Michelle and her arms dominate all womankind.
I’m sure he’d let me down easy, though. He’s cool like that.
Also, where’s this essay “Down Boy”? I’m intrigued.
I wish there was a “saw a linkback on a different blog” option for the “How did you find TN?” question. I can’t really remember whose blog I was reading, but I ended up checking out this site because they listed your site on their “useful and otherwise entertaining links” page, and I trusted them to have my same reading tastes. You know, an option for those of us who can routinely be heard saying: “When I was your age, we didn’t have twitter/FB! Also, we walked to school uphill in the snow, both ways! Now getoff my lawn!”. =P
Ultimately I went with “I don’t remember”. And wow, even though I don’t quite make the 10+ mark, I just realized that I started reading TN pre-9/11 (but barely), so I’m almost there.
Aw, so much nostalgia! I am embarrassingly averse to risk and also fairly lazy about trying new things. So, I had been visiting Mighty Big TV for several months (it was helping me cope with the long, depressing decline of the X-files) before I got around to clicking on the TN link. I’m pretty certain the first essay I read was the one about shoes, and I thought to myself, This is awesome! Why didn’t I click on this before?
Thanks for 10 years of great reading!
I believe I was sent to TN sometime during college either via a rather convoluted search engine dance or someone linked me to an entry. Either way, glad to be here!
Down boy was new to me too. Here’s the link. I read on another board about rainbow parties – the girls wear different shades of lipstick and the guys “collect rainbows”. I was sickened when I read about them.
https://tomatonation.com/stories-true-and-otherwise/down-boy/
I’m pretty sure I got here from link jogging from hissyfit, but I know it predated 9/11 and I’m not sure how old hissyfit is/was. There was a bulletin board with posters like altoidsaddict and jetgirl that I frequented and I think that’s somewhere in the link jogging I did to get here.
@Jen S: The piece is dated only in that it was written just as Dr. Phil was hitting his zenith in the talk show firmament; I have not watched him in years because A. It just got to be too much and B. I now live in Europe and there is no Oprah, no Dr. Phil, no BODY.
But the point of the piece is still relevant and struck a deep chord with me, not only as an educator and part-time counselor at a high school, but also having been labeled “slut” in my own high school days for the same sort of behavior, by the same sort of boys who had the same sense of entitlement. When I read it I got angry, then I cried for a while, then I used it to take what little action I could. It was cathartic.
Like the best kind of friendship, I absolutely cannot recall when or how TN and I first hit it off. (I was an angsty high-schooler at the time, that much I know, which puts me in the 4-10 year range.) Things got serious one summer in college, when I had an internship that managed to be simultaneously boring and awful; I spent many a happy afternoon combing my way through the archives and laughing until I cried.
This was pre-Wordpress, even! Aw.
Man, I’m a 10-pluser. I got here from TWoP back when it was the immortal Dawson’s Wrap (oh MAN that was a long time ago).
I also met my husband through TWoP, just short of seven years ago now. Who knew.
@ Jen S. & ysabet: I have a girl crush on Michelle Obama – as a young black woman, she’s the kind of boss/mentor I would LOVE to have. And she’s poised and beautiful. So while I was hitting on her husband, I would feel really bad about it because I would want to be her friend too. I would still do it, though, because Barry does it for me (he would even if he weren’t the leader of the free world; that’s just a bonus).
I found this site probably about back in 2000… but I had just started high school and was printing out Sars’ baseball essays for my Dad. Which puts me at having been part of this nation for close to half my life. Much of my humor in writing has been from reading and being a part of this community, and my college English professors don’t thank you for it, but man oh man do my directors love my puns.
I followed a link off of the now-defunct Technomancy blog; specifically, it was to “Palm Tree Undies In Zombie Town”. …and I put on the survey that I couldn’t remember how I got here. Well, “Internet girl-geek essay-hopping” wasn’t an option. ^__^ Nevertheless, girl-geeks of the Internet, please continue to rock my world.
Arrrgh, yes! I should be 10+ too. I was reading TN well before 2001. Damn, I’m getting old.
… count me in the “marked 4-10 years reading TN but if 9/11 was about 10 years ago, then I must definitely be in the 10+ years” group. I guess that would explain why I can’t remember how I found you.