Re: All about us - RAM makes the Sunday papers

Annie C wrote:


"Newton Love" <newtonlove@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:LS00j.6417$Nz1.6312@xxxxxxxxxxx
A R Pickett wrote:
| > RAMily in the US can read in today's Parade magazine an article
titled | > "The Best Friend you've Never Met" by Jacquelyn Mitchard.
The gist of | > the article is that online relationships can form
fast bonds between | > people who share interests, and those bonds
can expand beyond the | > original interest factor to include many or
all of life's pleasures and | > losses, and that strong supportive
friendships are the result. | >
| > I thought it described us very well indeed, and the author has
never met | > any of us, as far as I know!

I read the article pointed to by the tiny URL.
"Ram" was the name of the character that saved another character
in a multi-player role game, and had nothing to do with
rec.arts.mystery (RAM)

Did I read the correct article?
newt


Yes, you read the right article. and you're correct, that wasn't a
specific reference to this group. It's just a cool coincidence that
the gameplayer-warrior character's name was Ram. <g>

In a broader sense though it was about newsgroups, chat rooms, etc.
like this one we are in where strangers have become friends, even
real world friends.... Our son and his wife, who married last year,
met through a chat room... and I know at least a half dozen other
couples who met online originally. It makes sense though when you
consider that many of us are drawn to places in cyberspace that match
our interests. Easy to see why people would 'click' as friends when
they already share that common ground.

What's a bit different and interesting about rec.arts.mystery,
however, is that quite a few of us actually have met in person! --
unlike the title of the article - The Best Friend You've Never Met.
Whether at dinner in England, meeting up in Edinburgh, a visit or
sightseeing tour when in someone's town, or at Bouchercons or other
events (my experiences), many of us have been face to face. And these
meetings do happen in other groups too.... but the author of the
piece doesn't mention what can happen beyond emails or other
exchanges in cyberspace..

Science fiction fandom had long-distance communication in amateur
publications well before the Internet or Usenet got started. So I had
experience -- mine and others' -- before I got online.

There was the woman and man who were lusting after each other -- till
they met in person. Conversely, there were at least two cases of
people who clashed badly at a distance but after they met becoming
couples.

I take it for granted that people I've met online (or otherwise at a
distance) will turn out to be different in person from the images I
formed.


--
Dan Goodman
"I have always depended on the kindness of stranglers.".
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Expire
Journal http://dsgood.livejournal.com
Futures http://dangoodman.livejournal.com
mirror: http://dsgood.insanejournal.com
Links http://del.icio.us/dsgood
.

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