PointBuzz celebrates 10 years of entertaining Cedar Point fans

The unofficial Cedar Point fan site that started as Guide to The Point and Virtual Midway was started nearly a decade ago and has served millions of fans.

Wednesday, 09 April 2008

CLEVELAND - PointBuzz.com, the world's most popular unofficial Cedar Point fan Web site, is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month. Since April 1998, the site has served as a home for millions of fans, critics and tourists of the famed amusement park on the North Coast.

"I would have never guessed that it would have lasted ten years or have such a huge impact for me and others who love Cedar Point," says Jeff Putz of Brunswick, one of the co-editors and programmers for the site.

"I'm grateful for the impact this site has had on me. The friendships and priceless experiences have made for a fantastic journey," says Walt Schmidt of North Ridgeville, the site's other co-editor.

PointBuzz made its debut in 1998 as Guide to The Point, and featured photos and tips for enjoying the park. Later that year, a forum was added, and the birth of an extensive community began to grow. In 2000, Schmidt published a site called Virtual Midway, with his trademark panoramic photos from the park. In May of 2004, the two sites joined forces to start PointBuzz. The site attracts more than a million visitors every year.

"Virtual Midway and Guide to the Point set the standard for amusement industry fan sites," Schmidt says. "Now PointBuzz is continuing that tradition. But even after so many years, covering the park never gets old. It's definitely a labor of love."

Putz agrees, "It's staggering how much people care about that place, but it's not surprising since generations of Ohioans have been visiting it for more than a hundred years. We're very proud and humble to host this online community.

PointBuzz relaunched over the winter with a cleaner look and simplified content. The site focuses on news related to the park, community and includes an extensive database of thousands of photos, but does not try to duplicate the content found on the official Cedar Point site. The new forum features fast searching and categories for news, trip planning and newer attractions like Maverick, a roller coaster the park introduced last year.