The site began in late 1998 by Sarah D. Bunting and Tara Ariano, with technical support from David T. Cole, as an online forum-driven for the discussion of the show "Dawson's Creek", then named "DawsonsWrap". Their commentary specifically focused on the show's central character Dawson Leery, and Bunting said that this had caught their attention because "insidious, sexist, lazy writing had us apoplectic, not least because we're supposed to identify with a character who, on his best day, is an obnoxious, self-absorbed twit." Their activities included writing recaps of each episode intermixed with their criticism, establishing the use of sarcastic criticism or "" within these recaps. Though they did not believe they had a direct impact on "Dawson's Creek" itself, they felt that by the end of the show's run, they had a seen a change in the show's writing that seemed to take their critics to heart.