Yes, the signon dates are the thing to have. I was posting in 1998 during the Clinton scandals and the impeachment hearings, but my screen name was knocked out because Jim updated the board and I could no longer get in under my old ID. So I signed on with a new one with the signon date off 2000. Yeah, I too would like to have a signon date of 1998.
Welcome to the club. I wish I could find that Far Side comic strip where it has the dogs hanging around the park and one of them weaving his way through traffic to them. They say something like, "That settles it, Rusty is in the club."