More people appear on the radar screen of my recollection tonight,  ones who opened up the possibilities for me in the new frontier opening up in the virtual landscape;  one where community happened in strange and exciting new ways.  Strange in terms of new medium and new technology,  but with a familiar ring to it:  like the things I was learning about new online acquaintances (and some new online acquaintances were people I knew of and who knew of me offline,  but never really knew or understood what I cared about,  nor I , them.)

I think of Ecunet and Howard Rheingold first off,  because it was 1993,  and I had just joined Ecunet,  while I was simultaneously reading a new book by Howard, “The Virtual Community”.  I had always believed deeply in the value of ecumenicity within the Christain tradition but had experienced few opportunities to reallyy interact with a wide variety of Christians from diverse groups and denominations and see so many common concerns among us.  “The Virtual Community” wove tale after tale of the connection spawned between distant comrades,   and how they would drive long distances to meet or come to the aid of that unseen person with whom they had forged ties apparently very human,  despite the huge skepticism shown these relationships by the uninitiated.   The un-initiated they had to be,  for once one linked across the ether to that “place” where humans meet via some story,  shared concerns or interests,   and felt that “connection” — parentheses only because of the pun not intended