I (dmd) was in the top 5% of noders back then, went to a bunch of gatherings (like https://everything2.com/title/I%2527M+GUNNA+BE+WICKED+RETAHD... ). It was a wonderful time.
(used 'The Alchemist' as a username - probably because I was into reading about it at the time. Unfortunately most people probably thought I liked that book of the same name).
I went to a meetup in Melbourne. Met a girl in Chicago. Discovered that someone else lived literally on my street, a third of a mile away. I had several small world experiences on E2.