It's Allakhazam's 10th Anniversary

DING. It was 10 years ago today that I posted a one page guide to how to play Everquest and linked it in various forums. People liked it and suggested additions and changes. Over time, it grew and grew into the monster it is today with a network that covers hundreds of games and gets over 600 million page views every month. We have a great staff of over 40 people currently working on the site. More importantly, we have a great community of gamers without whom we would just be another boring web site. For our 10th Anniversary, we are going to give back to the community by giving away a month's worth of prizes.

Before I get to the prizes, I want to wax nostalgic courtesy of the internet archive wayback machine and our own archives. (To skip my ramblings and just see what you can win, scroll down to the bottom of the page). Unfortunately the original version of the site is lost in time. Old time EQ players may remember the animated ogre and wizard and the clashing color scheme. One thing not lost to time is the EQ Site Update Archives. Reading through the first couple months really gives a sense of how this evolved from a small guide to a multifaceted information site in just a few months. It's also kind of fun.

The first archived version of the site I can find is from October, 1999, when we were still part of Gamestats. That was actually the snazzy updated design that one of our readers had sent me because he was tired of looking at the old colors every time he wanted to look up a quest. Again, old EQ players might find it amusing to look through some of the subpages there to bring up long repressed memories. One of the updates notes that the site had recorded its millionth visit in August.

It was January 2000 when we left gamestats and moved to our own URL and allakhazam.com was officially born. By that time Andy Sharp, aka Illia, had teamed up with me to try to bring order to the chaos I had created. This led to a newer version of the site, which you can see here. It also led to our very first actual database, the famously misspelled Illia's Beastiary. By the end of the year, Illia had managed to take most of the site's data and organize it into a real, searchable database, with yet another brand new design. We were one of the first sites on the entire internet to have a database of that size, extent and complexity, and I am not just talking amongst gaming sites. By this time we were doing a very respectable 15 million page views a month and Illia and I had decided we might actually be able to make a living doing this. To my wife's consternation, I left my job as a lawyer and dedicated myself full time to playing games.

Then came 2001. This was a devastating year for the internet. Advertising revenue completely vanished and huge numbers of sites just dried up and disappeared. We were hit hard as well. By March, our revenue stream had basically died. I found myself rethinking whether the site could even continue. Most of our competitors simply closed down. Instead we sat down and devised a premium membership system that we hoped would bring in enough revenue to survive until ad revenue returned. Our goal was to build features people would pay for that would still leave all of the actual information on the site free for our users, who had after all contributed most of it themselves. That September, coincidentally on the same day the twin towers came down in NYC, we crossed our fingers and launched our premium service, one of the first of its kind on the entire internet. It succeeded beyond our wildest expectations, eventually rising to over 45,000 members and saving the site from extinction. A month later we even hired our first employee, Lori McCauley, aka Darqflame, who still works here today.

2001 was also the year we branched out from Everquest, launching a site for the new MMO Dark Age of Camelot. Sites soon followed for Final Fantasy Online (2002), Everquest Online Adventures (2003), Star Wars Galaxies (2003) and in 2004 both World of Warcraft and Everquest 2. Other now defunct sites were launched for games such as Anarchy Online, Lineage 2 and Planetside. In the process we built our own custom forum system, hired on more fanatical gamers as staff, designed a host of new tools, and gathered literally millions of pieces of game information in one single place.

That leads us back up to 2009, where we have databases, wikis, forums and news coverage for hundreds of MMO games both large and small. Over 10 million posts have been made by almost 1.5 million registered users. Everquest alone has over 80,000 items and 4,800 quests listed. Most importantly, we have the greatest community of gamers on the internet. For this we thank you all.

So now that you have read all the way through to this part, I can tell you what we are going to do this month. Every day from now until April 3rd, we will give something away to an active member of our community. Daily winners can win things like a 60 day subscription to WoW or SOE Station, and at the end of each week we will pick a weekly winner and buy them a Nintendo Wii, and finally at the end of the month we will pick a community member and buy him or her a gaming ready laptop computer. To be eligible to win a prize, all you have to do is log into your account and continue to contribute to the community by posting in our forums, adding comments to our databases, or editing our wiki. The more you do, the more chances you will have to win something. Complete rules and details can be found at this link.

So happy anniversary to the Allakhazam Community. It has been an amazing ten years. I hope I will be writing up an even longer and more rambling post in 2019.

Comments

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GRATZ!!!
# Mar 07 2009 at 5:09 PM Rating: Good
Scholar
31 posts
Gratz on dingage! Now just don't get killed and have to re-ding..........

LOL, thanks for all the work and great information. I started playing EQ in 2000, and was quickly directed to your site. I was amazed at the information available and how much it helped. You have made the EQ experience far more pleasureable and easier for many, many people.

Now, how do I sign up for a spanking from Mistress Darqflame?
GRATZ!!!
# Mar 08 2009 at 5:16 AM Rating: Good
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170 posts
I started EQ 'round about 2k or even '99, nor sure.... Alla was great help then, is still great help with WoW.


Z
GRATZ!!!
# Mar 07 2009 at 10:25 PM Rating: Excellent
Spankatorium Administratix
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1oooo posts
RAWR!

*spanks you softly
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congratz
# Mar 07 2009 at 3:18 PM Rating: Good
Thanks muchly to this site.

If it wasn't for alla, I don't think I would be playing everquest.
Good Times!
# Mar 07 2009 at 1:50 PM Rating: Good
Congratz, And an early congrats to Rpzip? Hehe

ON a Nostalgia kick I've been coming to this website since I began Online gaming with EQ thanks to my Army buddies at Ft Bragg. I would have been lost trying to level my papertank had it not been for Allakhazam.com. TY for the great source of info for all my games!

Iuelail of Povar - EQ
Vowels of Lucan D'Lere - EQ2
Hugglebear of Cenarion Circle - WoW
Thank you
# Mar 07 2009 at 1:07 PM Rating: Excellent
Thank you for everything you have done for the gaming community. It is nice to have a place called "home" on the Interwebs.

Happy 10th anniversary and cheers to many more!
Thanks and Congrats
# Mar 07 2009 at 1:00 PM Rating: Good
5 posts
GRATZ DING!
Thanks for all the good times and information. 10 year eq wizard here and you stayed with us even when other sites couldnt keep it up. Heres to 10 more years and another post!

grats!
# Mar 07 2009 at 11:44 AM Rating: Good
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146 posts
Here's to another 10 years of awesome! Thanks for being such a great community! Always been, and hopefully always will be, my one stop for accurate information and good times =)
Well Done Allah !!
# Mar 07 2009 at 11:12 AM Rating: Good
Wow, has it been that long ? I remeber the early days trying to get as much info as I could, printing out page after page. A binder full of maps and notes, only way it could have been done was for you guys. Thank you all for the hard work and dedication !!
Happy birthday Alla
# Mar 07 2009 at 10:41 AM Rating: Good
Thank you for the great service you provide us all.
Happy Anniversary
# Mar 07 2009 at 10:34 AM Rating: Good
Scholar
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73 posts
Happy Anniversary Alkhazam!!! Good job on all the hard work!
You are now level 10!
# Mar 07 2009 at 10:08 AM Rating: Good
Blissful user for years, keep up the good work
Grats
# Mar 07 2009 at 9:41 AM Rating: Excellent
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232 posts
Congratulations on being around for 10 years! I've been playing EQ since Oct of 99 and by about mid 2000 was refered to your website and have been here ever since, a premium member for a few years now and the info that is listed here has been unbelievably helpful in game. We all appreciate the hard work guys, keep it up!
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Nyvina Nytemare
Arrowhawk Meanehsobee
Nytera Nytemare
Great News!
# Mar 07 2009 at 9:39 AM Rating: Good
Congratulations! The site has been a great source for info for me since I've started. Thanks Alla
Grats!
# Mar 07 2009 at 9:39 AM Rating: Good
Congrats to Alla from a long time lurker (see, first post after almost three years of lurking!) and one of the active members at WoWI.

It's rather amazing to see any site make to their ten year birthday. So what's planned for the 20th anniversary?

Lykofos @ WoWI


Edited, Mar 7th 2009 12:45pm by Xinh
/salute
# Mar 07 2009 at 9:16 AM Rating: Good
6 posts
such an amazing site from the useful current information it provides to the nostalgic time travel machine it can function as ...thanks for the years of great work and for the awesome service you provide a community!!
Gratz
# Mar 07 2009 at 8:54 AM Rating: Good
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3,451 posts
Gratz Allakhazam, you've been my home page for years now, and I can't see myself going anywhere else, keep up the great work guys.
Congratulations!
# Mar 07 2009 at 8:38 AM Rating: Excellent
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295 posts
Happy birthday Alla! I've been using this site for ages and am happy to be a part of it. Whenever I needed help in any of my MMOs, Allakhazam and its community was there to help, and that still holds true today. So congratulations and here's to 10 more years!
Happy Anniversary
# Mar 07 2009 at 8:03 AM Rating: Good
Time flies when your having fun. Congratz Alla!!
awesome
# Mar 07 2009 at 8:01 AM Rating: Good
Here's to another 10 years and beyond
Woot
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:55 AM Rating: Good
Happy anniversary!!! I am another who would be lost without Allakhazam my guide to Everquest.

I've been playing EQ on and off dating back to 1999. My have things changed.

Keep up the good work and we all wish you many more years of success!



Edited, Mar 7th 2009 10:56am by Eerlin
Woot
# Mar 07 2009 at 8:05 AM Rating: Good
Old enough to remeber the original...and what is they use to say.."you've come a long way baby"
It's Party Time!!! Woot!!
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:50 AM Rating: Good
Thank you Allakhazam!! With out you assisting people like me, with our game knowledge. I believe, there would be less gamers and fewer games to be played, to some extent.
I'm wishing you many more great years, and may the growth of your Awesome busines continue to grow, beyond your what you are expecting!
Keep it up, Allakhazam!!

Thank you for everything!
CongoRats to you guys!
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:36 AM Rating: Good
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73 posts
I use Allakhazam every day, and without it, I just couldn't play EverQuest. Every drop that falls that I know nothing about, every cool piece of armor I see linked in game, new quests,,, I always come here first. You guys make the EverQuest expereince much more complete, and I thank you much for it.
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Relican Windamere - Ranger, Hunter, Bastidge
Alla
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:31 AM Rating: Good
I too must thank Alla for the information gathered and posted here. If not for Alla I'd have given up on EQ very quickly. It too is a site I visit at least once a day... sometimes 10-12. The only site I visit more is probably CNN behind a news junkie also.

Congrats on 10 years. May you continue to keep the gaming community informed forever.

Congrats
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:09 AM Rating: Good
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2,346 posts
Congratulations on all your success. I only started playing WoW in October of 2008 but ever since I have found your site it has made playing so much more fun and all of your users post very useful comments that help me with my way through the game. Thanks!
Congrats
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:18 AM Rating: Good
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501 posts
Well dang, I never knew Alla was around for that long, or how many games it covered. Grats for being around for so long while being so popular. :D
Congratulations
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:08 AM Rating: Excellent
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4,153 posts
Here's something I found interesting:

Allakhazam wrote:
To my wife's consternation, I left my job as a lawyer and dedicated myself full time to playing games.

That explains "Defender of Justice", I would say. Smiley: nod
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FFXI-Garuda 2003-2009; Lakshmi 2011-8/20/13 (retired)
FFXIV: ARR - Ghost Bear, Balmung server
Congratulations
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:57 AM Rating: Excellent
Living on a Prayer
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30,114 posts
And his other hat! Smiley: lol
Happy Birthday!
# Mar 07 2009 at 7:06 AM Rating: Good
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78 posts
Oooooooooo! Will there be spankings?
(/em snickers softly)
I could never have mastered tradeskills without you guys!
Happy Birthday!
# Mar 07 2009 at 2:16 PM Rating: Excellent
Spankatorium Administratix
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1oooo posts
I can help with that!
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