Natala la la la ... ... ...

Communities will become exclusive. You are a true networker because you actually do frequent the true "communities" or networks like Friendster, for example. I started hooking up back in the early days, which lead to a lot of strange relationships and encounters in which I was hit up for money and heard about abusive relationships, among other things. These days I'm more focused on writing and doing something productive on the web, so rather than chatting or doing any irc or file sharing I'm using the net to search for real opportunities.

This is both good and bad, in a sense, bittersweet, I think. The only blogs I hook up to when I'm not blogging myself is through ads, because I figure that a blogger that thinks enough of his ideas to advertise them is one worth looking at. This isn't completely true, but it goes to show how big the internet has become. There are entirely too many blogs, communities, chat rooms and other web sites to visit to bother with individuals who aren't involved in some sort of self-promotion. I clicked on your google ad, for example. I liked your blog so I responded with comments of my own. I tried the photo sites in the beginning, with Excite and MSN but didn't stay long. I even used to frequent communities such as those on BlackPlanet, or hit the personals, but again as I've settled down I don't feel the need to do that any more.

A fun community I used to like a like is Bolt! It's a bit juevenille but there are older members and it's a community you can get in and out of quickly to get what you want. I did correspond with someone on there for a while about some interpersonal issues she had but didn't stay long and got out once those issues were resolved. But the exchange was interesting, and for that little while I had yet another friend again.

Some people think that being involved in a mental exchange with someone online is nerdy but I don't think so. You can meet virtually anyone online, and to me that is the most fascinating aspect of it. I'm not really that interested in meeting people that are that similiar to me in any sense of the word; racially, ideologically, class (monetary), academically or otherwise. I'm just looking for interesting individuals who know what they want out of an exchange and aren't easy to shift around and get something out of that they're not interested in giving.

Communities will continue to be acquired, traded and sold by the companies behind them. Chat and IRC have always been exclusive entities, however, and I see a lot of that happening with certain blogs where the publisher is really more interested in corresponding with their friends or people with similiar interests, than they are with just anyone who responds to that blog. We're a bit exclusive by nature to begin with, and that quality has simply been transferred to our identities in cyberspace. Go in any chat room and just try to half-heartedly jump into the conversation they're having and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Thanks for the blog, and giving me the opportunity to respond to your work, ideas, whatever. Keep up the good work.