BrownSuga's Sweet Spot: Meet me in St. Louis

"Meet me in St. Louis, Louis,

Meet me at the fair, Don't tell me the lights are shining any place but there; We will dance the Hoochee Koochee, I will be your tootsie wootsie, If you will meet in St. Louis, Louis, Meet me at the fair."

So this past weekend I had the opportunity to meet 60+ people from a website/message board forum I visit regularly. I've never met such a large group of people at one time from the same website. This was an educational and very interesting experience to say the least.

On Saturday 64 people got together at one person's house to just meet. To put names with faces, to have a conversation without the wait period of a message board or the impersonality of a computer screen. Like any other site there was a common thread that linked everyone. Some sites are for a certain television show, game, religion, political party, characteristic, hobby etc. Either way that common thread helps us to "break the ice".

If you've never met someone from offline, you should try it. Now I'm not advising being stupid about the person you meet. Nor am I suggesting that this meeting be clandestine in any way. If you can't tell your husband, wife, significant other or friends that you are going to meet someone from the internet then guess what, you shouldn't do it. There are many people who meet "online buddies" for sex, relationships, companionship, or whatever and that's your own business. That is not what I met these people for and I honestly believe I would never do that (nothing personal to anyone who does...just not my thing....I've never had a problem finding sex in my own town no need for me to ever venture on the internet for it).

There are wonderful and amazing people in this world. They have knowledge and interests that are unique. Too many times we become complacent with just chatting online. We stop all human contact. Not only is that sick but it can become the detriment to our society. There is a scare for professors to teach the "instant messenger" age how to communicate. They don't know how to write real letters, speak properly on the phone or write a paper without "internet slang".

And adults aren't any better. If you find yourself with no friends in real life and the people you talk to are referred to only by their 'nics', then there is a problem. Suggest a real meeting. Get out and visit one of those disgusting coffee places if you must. Real contact with people is a good thing. And you just might find someone special in the process.

One of the people I met, I ended up going to their house and then carpooling with them to the get together. We had extra time to talk and get to know one another without the other 62 people around. We were able to really get a feel for the other's personality. And I have to say it was nice. I hope to see them again. We are already planning another get together. We still chat on the message board regularly, but when I see their nic on a message I can picture their face in my mind and know there is a real person on the other side of that computer.