From the completion and release of Version 2 and the opening of our new Fantasy Chat, Alder Hill, Outpost 10F has seen many monumental breakthroughs in the past year. However special those magical marvels of technological ingenuity are, I think we can all agree that two miracles in particular have warmed our hearts and inspired us like nothing else; the births of two beautiful little girls, Megan Austin and Lara Fallhorn. On July 25th, Megan, and on October 13, Lara, came into our lives as the first babies born to married Outpost members.

For the next couple of issues, I will be examining some of the nitrifies of being in love, and the ramifications it has on a world such as this. I think each of us know the two people I am about to introduce. They graciously offered their thoughts on a subject that, until now, has not been discussed all that much.

Before I introduce my interviewees, I want to give you my thoughts on love on the Internet. For me, love is not only a feeling, it is a statement of who and what you are. Every one of us, from myself to Saddam Hussein, has the capacity to love, and it is up to us and our handling of our surroundings that determines how we will love throughout our lives. Many of us find love very easily, taking someone who is already a part of our life and developing a relationship with them. Others have it harder, having to struggle to gain the trust and love of someone that they want to be a part of their life. Add into the equation such a complicated thing as the Internet, and you've got one heck of a mess.

What is it to love online? What rules are there? What boundaries are there that don't exist in real life that we have to contend with on the Internet? Probably the most important question is: Do we really know who it is we are falling in love with, or if they'll really be there when the time comes to bring it out to the real world?

Alright, I'll stop rattling on, and I'll give you the interview. CL7 Crazy Texan and CL7 JJ were nice enough to sit down with me one day and write this piece that they wanted me to include in my article. I haven't altered their words one bit, so on with the show!

"Greetings from your Star Trek and Star Wars Sector Commanders. We have the privilege to include a little insight, personal experiences, and hopefully a little reading enjoyment into topics, which are very important to us, Relationships, Outpost 10F, and how we still talk to each other at the end of the day."

"JJ and I never met at OTF, we met in the cold, dark, dreaded real world. We met in the winter of 1995 through a mutual friend and JJ and I hit it off pretty well. Six months after this initial meeting, JJ decided to take me out for my birthday to celebrate. From there we knew that there was something more. (She also couldn't resist my charm, dry sense of humor, and my ability to make her laugh no matter how bad a day at work could be) If you people get to meet us one day we will be more than happy to share with you the "how we met" details."

"When I got my computer in the fall of 1998 and stumbled my way online, I started chatting at an mIRC chat at startrek.com. *hears the Star Wars fans gasp in horror* Sorry my loyal warsies...I am also a Trekker. JJ found the chat not to her liking, as I also wanted to expand my horizons and find a better place. One day in December of 1998 while searching for a Star Trek chat site, JJ found OTF and joined. I joined a couple of months later and the rest is history."

"To us, OTF is a hobby. It is something we enjoy and a common interest we share. In my opinion a relationship should include several common interests, but enough differences, maybe even polar opposites, to make the relationship exciting and challenging. As our relationship grew, our time and output back into the community expanded and matured. We shared the announcement of our engagement on New Year's Eve, 2000, as well as discussed wedding plans, offered advice to those involved in various stages in their real life and even online relationships, and posted a message on the Updates when we were married in June, 2001. Of course most of you see the constant picking back and forth between JJ and I. This is one of our many ways that we express love and endearment to each other. We hold the other in the highest regard and respect, but a little ribbing makes things fun."

"As far as the relationships that we have witnessed grown from meeting in OTF, we couldn't be happier and support those that are willing to take a leap of faith on love. The Internet is the replacement for the singles' bars in recent years, and as time goes by we have watched several special couples not only meet in the Outpost, but meet in real life face-to-face, fall in love, and in some cases, move halfway across the world to be together. In any community relationships are the most crucial aspect, and Outpost10f.com is no exception."

Whether you meet and fall in love in a chat room, or meet and fall in love in real life, the simple fact that you make that part of your life here at the Outpost says something about your courage as a person to trust the community. We are all humans, and we are all faces behind a monitor, a fact that many seem to have forgotten of late. If you fall in love here, or anywhere on the Internet, then best of luck to you.

Tune in next month for my next article, in which I hope to have another great interview for you! Until then...

Robert Griffith