PPT Blog

Looking at images like this reminds me of the days when I first started using a computer. It had a grand total of 180 MB of space, most of which was taken up by the installation of Windows (I think it was Windows version 3.2.1.1 or something back then) and a game that was more than 25 MB was considered HUUUUGEEE (think Mortal Kombat).

Oh gosh… technology has seriously taken leaps and bounds since then. Praise the Lord… because PPT takes up a couple of gigs on the server. Can you imagine trying to run PPT on a lot of 180 MB servers? I can’t.

Three cheers to The PPT Show hosts Helena and YoYo for having the guts, determination and sweat to go through with The PPT Show challenge and dress up as Neopets characters for a very Neopetty Halloween 2007! Looking good guys!

This is what happens when my ISP decides to throttle my internet connection and messes with my ability to host episode #36 of The PPT Show. Not. Happy. Jan!!

Before the update. This is the official PPT computer running Mac OS X Tiger.

After the update. This is the official PPT computer running Mac OS X Leopard!!

Doesn’t it just look incredibly sexy? I now have a heightened sense of my surroundings and using the power of Leopard, I will bring you an even bigger and better PPT!

I must admit, the upgrading process didn’t go as smoothly as I thought it would go. This was the first time I had a “Microsoft” moment with Apple. The install CD kept stalling at a gray screen. I let it wait out for about two hours before shutting off the computer. Taking out the CD (by holding down the mouse button upon reboot), putting it back in and trying again (but not before resetting the computer by holding the “c” button and making sure it booted into the right computer again). Pretty complicated for an Apple isn’t it? I was surprised.

After that, it went swimmingly and as you can see, it all look amazing! I absolutely love it. Now to make the site better somehow…

Today I logged onto PPT for a pleasant surprise. The chat box on PPT Main had 146 users online simultaneously, something which I haven’t seen in a long time. This made me think about the days when Neopets was at the peak of their popularity and the community was everything. Playing the game had a sense of personal enjoyment and a sense of purpose and sites like PPT were able to provide Neopets information and Neopets cheats; the community was something that inadvertently developed and drove the site to bigger success.

Now that new Neopets websites spring up every other day and that the original founders Adam Powell and Donna Williams are no longer at the site, it seems to many that the spark that initially drew the crowds, the degree of personality behind the website is no more; this is something myself and the hosts of The PPT Show have discussed at length in the podcast episodes.

So it it with this frame of mind that I was pleasantly surprised to see the community pick up again; can Neopets regain the community that it lost of die-hard fans and core supporters? In truth, the heart of every website is the community, and I feel like I need to invest more time into my site’s community and encourage it to grow which is what I’ve begun to do now. I’m just thankful the site already has such a rich diversity of members from all around the globe who I now call friends. (If you see me online, give me a bell! I love chatting.)

Let’s see how Neopets does over the next few months OK?