Monday, January 14, 2008

Fun Monday - I found it on the internet

Fun Monday this week is being hosted by Ann.

Her assignment to us: I want to hear about a web site and not just about any old web site. I want to hear about a web site that's changed your life. A web site that you can't live without. A web site whose inventor you'd like to see win a McArthur Genius Grant.


As always, I'm highly incapable of following the rules, and can't possibly stick to just one website. I will, however, stick to one general theme.


The internet in general has changed my life in many many ways. One of the biggest ways, however, has been in the friends it has brought into my life. This is why I have to pick Yahoo Groups (Originally Yahoo Clubs) as my first website to change my life.


Seven years ago, around Thanksgiving time, I found a Yahoo Group, and through have met some of my best friends. Seven years of posting regularly online, and there are seven of us who have a bond like no other. I've been lucky enough to have met four of the girls in "real life", and am hoping to meet face to face with the other two eventually as well. This past summer I attended the wedding of one of those girls, and with two of the other girls, we turned her wedding into a "girls" weekend. These are friends I know I'll have for life, and I'll always have Yahoo Groups to thank for it.


The second website I'm going to point to is the first blog I ever read. It is actor Wil Wheaton's blog. Having been a fan of his growing up, when I learned he had a blog, I was intrigued. I was also immediately pulled in, he's a fantastic writer and I've had a great time following his life through his blog. It was also through his blog that I was introduced to the world of blogging, and eventually began blogging myself. Therefore, that website has indeed changed my life.


The final website I'm focusing on is one I stumbled across more recently. Sometime last year, through blog hopping, Thursday Thirteen, or something of that sort, I came across BlogJem. I just happened to stop by as its author, Frances, was starting SheWhoBlogs, a Yahoo Group for female bloggers. And so we've come full circle, back to yahoo groups. Through SheWhoBlogs, I was introduced to a whole new community of bloggers, and have made some great new "blog" buddies, who I admire, appreciate and enjoy. It also helped to increase my readership, and in turn has given my blog new life. As I consider my blog such a tremendous part of my life now, BlogJem indeed changed my life.


And there you have it. Be sure to stop by Ann's for the rest of the Fun Mondayers.


Also, scroll down to the post below this one for instructions regarding an update to the big "secret" situation!

13 comments:

kitten said...

Great post! 7 years! That is a long time.

Sandy said...

Great post, indeed! I will have to check out a couple of these sites.

Joy T. said...

I hear you on she who blogs, I lurk at most of the blogs...bad blogger!...but I love all of them. It's an incredible group of women. A great post for FM!

Tiggerlane said...

Great choices - and I had no idea Wil Wheaton had a blog - I had to check it out.

Michelle said...

What a great post! Thanks for sharing all the info!! I will check them out!!

-Ann said...

Excellent post. I haven;t been to Wil Wheaton's blog in a long time. I should drop in there soon.

ChrisB said...

Ha I had to google 'Wil' to find out more about him! How lovely to have made friends through Yahoo Clubs; and to have met most of them in real life must have been great. Fun Mon is the closest I've ever got to belonging to a group!

SwampAngel65 said...

LOL! I remember hearing a long time ago that Wil Wheaton is a geocacher! I'll have to check his blog out. Too funny...

(I am a closet Trekkie...oh, the shame...)

Live Long and Proser!

Unknown said...

I may never find time to visit everybody. I keep getting distracted by the websites people suggest. :)

ANA said...

I get a high chasing virtual spaces, thanks to the blog world there are so many read worthy pages everyday...and then thanks to google reader for making it a little simpler to keep track of the people I heart....

Anonymous said...

Oh wow I'm sitting here all teary eyed and grinning goofy.
I thank you from the bottom of my heart, no actually from the tips of my toes I thank thank thank you.
Much bloglove,
Frances

Anonymous said...

I had no idea bloggers lived that long - not to mention have been around that long! I am such a newbie (1 month) Excellent sites to peruse. I remember Wil from the Trekkie days. I will have to check out what he is doing now. thanks... NLM

my4kids said...

I have been on the yahoo groups but never really met anyone through it except the homeschool mom group here in Ketchikan.
I remember Will Wheaton from Star Trek NG