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I recall when Ransomnote posted a message in the general boards inviting people to join her “Ping” list for people interested in Q, just a day or so, possibly only HOURS after the very first appearance of Q in October 2017.

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It really feels that way, Dis, but it’s the miles, not the years! :D

My profile page contains an index of our threads. I just checked and see that it’s not quite right (correction to make) but it looks like those of us posting Q threads all threw in together around the end of January 2018.

I had been agonized, fearful that I seemed to be watching the little candle of hope, the Q movement, flicker as it seemed to be going out, (just my impression) so I begged God to give me any tiny little task, “Please let me do something to help! PLEASE!”

Many of us started posting threads independently late October to late Nov of 2017. We were being independently overrun by trolls, and we were struggling not to duplicate post. Swordmaker suggested I post a thread asking if people wanted to join a ping list. I asked bitt, “what’s a ping a list?” and if ping lists had any moving parts.

I would have been shocked to have 20 people ask to join the first ping. There were hundreds. *pauses to imagine how many lurkers we have*. It took me a few days just to collect the names out of emails and on thread. Even more shocking, people asked me questions; apparently some thought it was “mine” and that I had knowledge to support them. Since so many asked me questions, then I started asking them (how to do things) and that’s how my role morphed into Question/answer interaction.

So of those who started posting prior to the ping list a week or more after Q emerged, any may have started a ping list; there was no selection process. I’m rather wistful on days when I wonder what today’s threads would be like with grey_whiskers posting them! :D I think they’d be great, and it would be DIFFERENT!

We had to fight hard to keep our threads and when Q was active and shills attacking, many FReeQs were posting around the clock - so I would see ours in full combat with shills when I logged on at 4:00am.

It was a different type of shill back then; more sustained, tireless, aggression required (their strategy: battle of attrition/dilution). That wasn’t my skill set at all, but I was trying as were many other FReeQs. Bagster seemed to be in his element in that field of battle (*knowing glance*), but even he had to sleep sometimes.

One night, I was so exhausted, wondering if they would ultimately win because our threads were becoming too heavily diluted with combat to be worth reading. Trolls had fresh replacements and we didn’t. That night, a key reinforcement showed up. A FReepers known as Cbolt. Completely fresh for the fight and in full possession of the lethal weapon of lawyerly logic. I would later ask bagster, “Who WAS that guy!?” The enemy was stunned, bagster started getting some sleep, and the rest of us saw more return on our efforts. There were many others who waded in to support our threads at the right time - and many of those are not names you might recognize.

All this to say that I was never the only one, probably wasn’t the first on FR, was never selected (just fell into it - following prayer), didn’t work harder than others, and without the work of so many, we never would have made it through. WWG1WGA