The wonderful world of t' Internet

When I first used the internet, I was completely clueless. I couldn't think what to look up, and as a result, found Googling and Asking rather boring. Then came a host of minor problems that I wanted to sort out for myself, and lo! and behold - a Forum Fan was born.
In the early days of searching, strange as it may sound, different sites had different 'feels' about them.
Some places that I was directed to felt cold and lonely. They were functional and often useful, but they just didn't feel 'right'.
Other places I went to were 'live' but they still felt unfriendly. Members of those site forums seemed to have their own 'in crowd', and posting questions to them in order to solve my snags felt so much like intruding.
Then I discovered a forum that seemed to welcome newcomers (newbies), but I still felt a little out of place as I didn't understand the 'forum speak'. Some I was able to figure out - LOL, IMO, but some, even now, leave me scratching my head - ROFLMAO is a big one. I've worked out some of it, but I'm stuck on the rest.
I joined surveys, as I enjoy giving my opinion, but in the real world not many people enjoy hearing it. But the sites that run these surveys not only encourage me to spout off, but reward me for doing so. So for the first time in my life, my opinion really is worth something. OK, it's usually an Amazon voucher for a fiver, but it soon mounts up.
I have found some amazing sites, lots of boring sites, and, in some cases, downright weird sites.
But the best times I've had have been when I'm bored and typed nonsense into the search window.
'Tell me a joke' took me to some brilliant comedy, 'Does my computer love me' led to a brilliant 'spoof' site, and when I googled my User-name (which I use for most things, from this blog, to forums), it took me to a forum that I'd only previously used when I had troubles with my ISP.
It was here that I found my 'Internet Home'. Having previously scrolled through various forum options to reach the Broadband section, one day I popped into one of the general Chat sections.
And I knew I'd arrived! I found members with wonderful names, from Tuppence and Flo, to the slightly more esoteric Doops, LadyGee, Baffled, and the excellently-named moderator, Scrumpy. When I first registered, I received a confirmation email from this Mod, and the address was such that it was almost dismissed as 'spam'. For a while after I joined, I had visions of this Mod being a hairy bloke from the West Country. Completely wrong, both in description and personality.
And after one or two hesitant posts in this free-for-all, I was absolutely hooked.
I was welcomed without being patronised - something that is unintentional on some forums, but evident all the same.
The members indulge in everything from light-hearted banter to in-depth serious discussions.
No-one is ignored, and if someone is sometimes a little testy in their replies, well, it's like that in real-life too.
And that's the great thing about this forum - I've known people post when they don't know where else to turn, and the replies have been amazing. Even those with no idea what to do will leave a little note wishing the OP all the best, and that in itself makes a world of difference.
There are places for everyone and everything, from jokes (sometimes stupid, sometimes side-splitting), to sounding off.
Occasionally there are disagreements between posters, but they never get to the point of nastiness, mostly because the members behave in an adult manner, but also because the moderating is done sensibly.
I have visited some forums where they're so over-moderated that they've become sterile, and others where the arguments between posters has become a slanging match that has become downright nasty.
Because my 'Home' forum is run by my ISP, I am able to relate to the difficulties in the Service area, as well as the tongue-in-cheek comments about the service that are made in the other areas.
Some days it can be boring, and on other days, as soon as the posts have been read, there are more comments, and it's a race to read or post.
But even on the boring days, the feeling of fitting in is the best. With so many people using the internet these days, forums and social-networking sites are becoming the norm, and it's a wonderful way to take part in discussions, tell jokes, or just have a natter. Many of those who use forums are ill, or disabled, or live alone and don't get to see/speak to other people very often, but now there is a place to find a bit of company. You don't have to post every day, or on every subject, nor do you have to take part if it doesn't interest you.
However, on the site I call home, if someone disappears for a couple of days, the alarm bells will ring, and everyone will take note that 'A' hasn't posted. It's reassuring for members to know that there are people, who would not recognise them in the street, who notice if they're not around.
How reassuring is it that, if you are alone, and in need of help, there is a forum at hand who could get help to you quickly if you needed it?
I doubt I'm alone, tho' in secretly quite enjoying when a disagreement occurs - so long as I can understand the cause of it. There are some members who never seem to see eye-to-eye, and it's amusing to watch the posts get increasingly tight-lipped, and wondering at what point the Moderator will step into the fray.
On one forum, the Mods deal with it by 'locking the thread' which is fine, so long as each side has had a little time to get things off their chests. I hate it when threads are just removed, as you can be sure they will be alluded to in other posts, and those that didn't get to see it will wonder what the hell it was all about. It's like watching Big Brother - so long as it doesn't get nasty, the arguments are very entertaining for those not involved.
Arguments can be quite educational too. In my 'Home' there is one poster who's vocabulary improves as the argument gains momentum, and who, on more than one occasion, has had me in fits of laughter as the conclusion was reached. There are also those who seem to lose the ability to construe and punctuate the more heated things become, and whose grammar goes completely to pot in their eagerness to stress their point - counter-productive but also great to read.
I happily hold my hands up to enjoying a good showdown - I'm the first to step into the street to watch, as long as it doesn't get violent. The way people argue is eternally fascinating, as the way it's constructed and executed can make or break.
Yet, as time goes on, and I get to know more about the members, the more I understand why they react the way they do, for I find that people tell more to those in their chosen forum than, I suspect, they would ever tell to people in real life. Hiding to an extent behind their writing, it doesn't matter if their hair needs washing, or the bed needs making. The words they type are the important thing, the one thing they are judged upon. If only in the real world we were able to focus on what was said to us, instead of only half listening, then the world would be a better place.
It is in the forum that I can while away my time when I'm bored, where I go to talk and put the world to rights with the friends I have made, and the place I turn to when I am worried about events that I can do nothing about. It's the place where I can express my views, without being dismissed, tell the joke I read, and where even my little post can help to reassure someone in pain, both physical and emotional. I have been guided, and am learning to guide others, where we are free to speak, and to listen to what is said.
On the computer, on the internet, it is my home. It is the one place I will always return when I've wandered around, the place where it just 'feels' right. Where the friends I have made will always be, for without each other, we'd have nothing to say, no-one to console, no-one to cheer, and no-one to tease.
And before I log off, I'll return there now, just to see who's about before I continue with the day.
Find a forum, make a post. It's the best thing I ever did.