I can remember entering this little chatroom called Ten Forward a few years ago for the first time. I had just planned on using this chatroom to meet a friend, who lived in Eurpoe, online so we could visit and plan a holiday together... And ended up staying for almost 5 years. And what a great 5 years it's been! The growth, the new friends, the old one to keep in touch with. It continues to amaze me how close we can be when living so far apart.

When Jon and Shellie and Glenn and Diane had their babies, I was telling people at work how my friends just gave birth to their first child. Never thinking how it might seem for some to think it's weird how involved we are in each other's lives. But, I figure... It's their loss. I firmly believe we ARE an online community. Not a chatroom for people to "chat." But a real community of people who care about each other.

We share our joys and sorrows with each other. We come to each other in celebrations for hoildays, and in sorrow when something happens to one of us or to the world as a whole. We share our birthdays, birth of our children, Christmas, New Year's Eve... Any holiday is open season in OTF for us. Any reason to come together to speand time with each other. I can remember how people seemed to flock to TF or The CCC after 9-11 to see if the friend who lives in NYC or the DC areas were alright. Has anyone heard from Kassandra? Did anyone talk to Deanna yet? We all wanted to be sure our friends were safe and we came to each other for comfort and reassurance.

A "chatroom"? I think not. A community in every sense of the world. That is what OTF is to those of us lucky enough to participate.