my friends in middle school downloaded aol instant messenger (aim) onto my computer around 2001 or so and everything changed. i was 11 and this was my first time interacting with not only people i knew offline, but some strangers- nothing dangerous though. and of course, smarterchild. i started using other instant messenger services like yahoo!, icq and msn- i had em all. from there i became really interested in what the internet had to offer. i remember going to various sites to get quotes, buddy icons and such to put in my aim profile and searching for bands as well. i remember hearing evanescence’s bring me to life on the radio and going to the computer and putting their name in google (i was so proud that i spelled it right lol). back then there were music videos on yahoo and this was pre-youtube.