NIC History

From NerferWiki

A long time ago, there were many of nerf web sites connected by a webring. These sites included Spoon's Die Hard Nerf Warrior Page, featuring the RAD team concept, Stefan Mohr's page, which had an excellent ammunition section as well as instructions to make what we now know today as "stefans,' and a huge number of clan-based pages with reviews and modifications.

Then there were two main forums, NerfCenter and NerfOnline: Nerf Center was created by Andy Grau and some of his close friends. The website itself focused on reviews of stock Nerf blasters, and is still the best source for this information. The forums on NerfCenter were quite active and carried a relaxed, but controlled, atmosphere. The actual site is still in existence (sans-forums and updates), at www.nerfcenter.com

NerfOnline was created by Hal Bergman and friends in 1997. The website had some very unique content; editorial columns, interviews with Nerfers, comics, and more. The main focus of this site however was its online forums. By far the most active Nerf forums of the day, NerfOnline's forums were the breeding ground for new concepts and ideas at the time. The forums however closed in the fall of 2002, and regular maintenance of the site stopped soon after. By 2005, the site was completely offline.

Both sites were very great, but NerfOnline was generally considered to be #1 by most. It catered to an older audience and produced much more content via its active forums. Some people thought there was a rivalry between the sites, but Andy Grau and Hal Bergman have publicly stated that there was no animosity towards each other. Most NIC members did have preferred sites, but any "rivalry" between the two was greatly over exaggerated.

After those two sites had become inactive, NerfHaven and NerfHQ arose as the two prominent Nerf websites.

Nerfhaven was created in 2002 by Cxwq (with help from VACC and others). The site tends to attract Nerfers who are very intent on practicality. Most members are intolerant of "concept threads" and tend to pass out flames at the drop of a hat. As a result of this environment, the content on Nerfhaven is more dense. Each post (ideally) is submitted because the user thought that they had something constructive to add to the thread. Nerfhaven is known for its older user base and strict forum guidlines. It may come off as a harsh environment, but most of NerfHaven's users are very friendly and glad to help you, pending you post your ideas/questions in a respectable fashion. The website and forums are both still active. NerfHaven

NerfHQ was created in 2001 by Spanky. In the beginning the forums were maintained by members of the LCM, but now they are moderated by a variety of NIC members. The website itself has a fair amount of content (most notably this wiki), but its main attraction is the forums. While not as active and content-driven as NerfHaven, the NerfHQ forums are still a valuable place to find Nerf information. It has a relaxed atmosphere that caters to the younger Nerfer, and is constantly trying to better itself as a Nerf website. The website and forums are both still active. NerfHQ