It's been a long time here at PetePhillipsOnline.com. We've seen friends come and go; some disappeared, some just didn't like us anymore. I can't tell you how many people find my page looking for the Six Flags guy or my Commie Doozer. A few people may have come professionally, looking for well-thought-out pieces of insight and wisdom, only to find the ramblings of a dysfunctional human being, trapped in the guise of a normal person. On the very rare occasions, we're blessed with big fans. That's what life is about. Fans. They may be fleeting, but damned if they don't make you feel appreciated. What more could we want in life, than just a little dose of, "I like what you're doing. Keep it up."

Among the many things that he has said over the years, Tim Hoy recently said this about me, and thereby saying it about the site, in most aspects: "Pete Phillips' brand of sexy and irreverent nihilism is simply lost on the masses. I feel like I've been starting a slow clap for him at the end of a movie for 5 years. Get with the program all you outcasts and sinners!" This is particularly special to me, because we all know, thanks to Not Another Teen Movie, that the slow clap is reserved for really quality things.

Lindsay Stuart, from Brandon, FL, was, at one time, a very frequent visitor to PPO. She has since gotten a life, but her first impressions of the site still ring in my ears: "You're a strange strange man that loves himself a little too much." How comforting it was to have people misunderstand the point of the site. In recent months it has taken a turn to more negativity, but in its hey-day, the site boasted about how great I am. Stephen Colbert went on to make a full-on TV show and persona based on the same principle.

In the site's infancy, Mike Venos was a supportive voice. He encouraged me to try having a site using my college's web space before buying it. It was a wise decision, and really reminded people how serious I was when I got a host and domain years later. Mvenos.com and PetePhillsOnline.com now exchange visitors occasionally, spreading the word about our captivating lives and brilliant views on the world around us. While this site may never have the community feel of Mike's site, we always appreciate his input.

Gregory "Gee-Z" Kirschner often thanks the site for updating him on various pop-scure celebrities. "Wow, so I guess Judd Nelson didn't fall off the face of the earth. I could have sworn he died in a grease fire years ago, but I guess I was wrong." Meanwhile, Greg's family has mixed reactions. Upon viewing the foam soap video, Jim Kirschner concluded, "He's got too much time on his hands." Well... I do. The one quote that I wish I had seen in-person was Greg's father, upon seeing my Bad Boy: The Flame Still Burns Strong tee shirt, saying dryly, "Heh. Bad boy."

Quite simple, and to the point, Marissa Phillips (no relation), says, "PetePhillipsOnline makes me proud to be a Phillips." Sometimes, simplicity is all you need.

Not all people who've come to the site have enjoyed it. Usually people take jokes very poorly. After only about a year of having the site, one viewer said, "Your childish, and no one likes you." It seems like yesterday, mostly because irony is my favorite thing to remember. A former child "star" wrote in, "I pity your low self esteem." Finally, someone got the joke! Still, so many other things were off-track in his message, that it seemed he won the war, but lost all the battles.

Former girlfriends of website visitors also enjoyed the site at one time. "I love the new poke pete..and the video. HILARIOUS!" After an e-falling-out, we decided to take the site in a different direction and let Holly Garrett go. She's moved on to bigger and better things somewhere on the East Coast.

One guy even said one thing about the site that is so bad, I can't put it up here. Seriously. Some of you know the story. If PetePhillipsOnline has taught you anything, it should be that you can lose your job for speaking freely online. That's called being "dooced," by the way.

In the end, we will forge on. There are a select few that still come by, and I don't even know who they are anymore. Since the institution of the uncensored section, I have avoided a great deal of controversy. Maybe that's what's missing now? Things may not change too drastically in year five, but we hope to make you proud to be visitors to such a reaching collection of various... stuff.