Ruminations

Thanks for all the kind words and the support, it’s all been very much appreciated.

Looking at all the comments on the post re my mum-in-law, I was surprised at how I have met almost everyone who wrote in. And the one person I haven’t met, Mel, I do have some connection with in that we are in the same reading circle online. I love how I can use the net to “meet” and get to know people.

Life online for me started in the 90s. It’s really always been all about connection with others. Back then, for me, connecting with others was via email and IRC. Remember IRC? I remember it being anarchic but fun. You never knew who was going to join the channel.

I never really got into news groups (hated the trolls and didn’t want to have to shout them down).

I remember those early face-to-face meetings I had with people I had first “met” online. It was quite nerve-wracking. Now it just seems a logical thing to do.

I like how we connect now. Far more control - have my own channel (so to speak), and so many different ways of connecting with people…

Sometimes, when I talk to people who don’t use the net or don’t use it much, they say things like “I still want the personal contact with people” or “I can’t understand why you would want to use a computer outside of work”. I think they don’t realise that the computer is just another way of giving access to all those communication tools that you can use to supplement your contact with others. It changes the experience, but it also adds to and enriches the experience. It certainly doesn’t mean that you lose the usual ways of connecting and staying in touch with others.