My favourite thing, all you special folks online :o) (Your online social life)

Member Name: chele2002

Product:	Your online social life
Date:	20/07/02 (165 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: :o)

Disadvantages: Not enough hours in the day

I haven't had much inspiration over the last few weeks to write very much, I should do really, I have already written 99 opinions, and so this would be my 100th opinion from me. I could have chosen to write about anything really, I have several half written opinions as it is but as it is a personal milestone for me I have decided to make it extra special, so with Jill's pending 4th anniversary of living cancer free, and to join in with the celebration I wanted to add my few words to the many others who have felt moved in adding some of their chosen favourite things. You see Jill is a special kind of person in many ways, but if I was to sum Jill up in one word it would have to be kindestnicestcaringconsiderateunderstandinghelpful delightfulamusingheartwarminglad y (ok so I cheated but when a person you meet has so many qualities as Jill, you will be hard pushed to find just one word to describe their nature, and those just scratch the surface)

So here goes with opinion 100:

When I first started using the internet in 1999 I didn't really know what to do on here, so I just typed in any old crap in the search engines in hope that something interesting would appear before my eyes, it didn't but still that didn't put me off of becoming addicted to the wonders of the net, neither did the £100+ phone bill each month.

Then some how, not quite sure how I got into it but I started to dabble a little in making home pages, at first it was Southpark and Simpson related then I wanted to make something that I could put my heart into and with a little help from Homesteads site builder a website was born, a online diary of our son John's life (sadly its been neglected lately but my heart is still in the site). On my site I have a guestbook, and it was from there that my online communicating began, people from all over the world would stop by and say something really nice and it touched me just to know that others found it interesting
enough to browse through it and to leave a message, sometimes I would find beautifully formed graphics in the form of gifts or awards. I remember one award very well, from a lady from Australia who went by the name Amenti, she was involved in a team called the Pharaoh's who all had websites of their own, these site would then face other teams on a site called the site wars, and she invited me to join and so I did.

Amenti the team leader was great, she had children of her own but she also had devotion to the team too, and some how managed to juggle the two, being a mummy and being a team leader, myself and other looked up to her, just like myself and the many who look up to Jill. As I got more involved with the team, I decided to become a star seeker and my star seeking name was mummy star, part of the role involved was to visit family friendly sites to invite them into the team. This meant a lot of messages exchanges in people guestbook's, and also leaving them a gift and an award, sometimes I found many lovely sites but unfortunately not all had guestbook, so for those I would send a friendly email to them provided there was an email link connected to their site. It was from that point I felt a sense of belonging to something, a community of people from all over the world that would band together and support each other. Every day I would be in touch with many people, some I have got to know and some I have yet to get to know, either through their guestbook?s or through their email addresses. Strange really I have never been known to have a lot of friends, I guess I have always been a bit of a loner even as I child I was quite content on playing by myself, but out from nowhere and different parts of the world I was communicating with strangers and friendships were forming. Unfortunately it faded out, I was pregnant with child number four Rebekah and as the months progressed and I grew increasingly larger and more uncomfortable, I decided to take som
e time out, as more weeks passed so did many others for one reason or another, there wasn?t much to come back to, the spirit kind of died and so did my site wars days. I was lucky though; because along with the experience it gave me I also made quite a few nice friends that from time to time I email them to keep up to date with their lives and in turn, they do with mine.

Some time into my pregnancy (eight months) I took a regular visit to the parent drop in a few minutes down the road from me, when Dooyoo was mentioned along with the concept of the site from a good friend of mine Trina (wishywalshy), so with me not making much use of our internet connection at the time I decided to do a search and up popped Dooyoo and so I joined out of curiosity, five days before my due date. It was from then on that I found a new passion for writing. Strange really as in school I wasn't all that crash hot when it came to English, nor would you ever catch me sat down to read a book, but times have changed, I have changed, so who knows maybe I will even write a book one day. I really enjoy writing and reading now, 2 years ago I wouldn't have been able to say that with honesty but I really do love it now. I have written so much now that I no longer type using one finger (two if I'm lucky) yep, I use at least eight of my fingers now, and have become a pretty fast at typing too.

I found myself on the site pretty often, but only reading other peoples work at first, I found it too difficult to concentrate enough to write anything at first, what with my inners having the sh*t kicked out of them with our due baby, but around three weeks after joining up, I took the plunge and wrote an opinion on my ISP, I was amazed at the response and the warming messages of encouragement and so I wrote more and more, read more and become more active by writing comments on other peoples opinions, it gave me a sense of interaction between other members and right before my very
eyes a feel of community. More people started reading my work, names of users I have never seen before and once again that sense of belonging and fitting in with other alike started to develop further, I even had people add me to their circle of friends, and even now it's a nice feeling and a huge compliment, just that tiny click, trust this member we communicate (some abuse it) we are letting that particular user know that we have read your work and like what we have seen.

Around six months on from joining I decided I wanted to get involved more and became a guide for kids & family. Why? Well Dooyoo and its members are like my online family from around, I felt that I could offer my time and advice to others, just like many have been there for me but if it wasn't for all you folks out there that have given me guidance and support I don't think I could have. I know sometimes I don't feel I give as much as I can, but family life as its downs sometimes, so sometimes I lack in communicating and interacting with you folks, and I like to think that upon return I make up for any absences that sometimes are necessary to my sanity. Since becoming a guide I have been communicating much more than ever before, with Dooyoo staff (isn't Katie a gem), with other guides and with all the members I drop by and read. I like to think that I choose to in many ways, email, comments on opinions, the excellent tooyoo guestbook, by writing, and even by adding someone new into my circle of friends.

Little did I know when I joined that I would make so many friends and each of you has your own special qualities that I adore, admire and look up too, whether you are well established, long term or new members, you are all special in your own right and don?t you ever forget that (ok if you are an abuser of the site what I just said doesn't apply to you, but if you have one ounce of consideration for others than rethink your ways, it's not too late to
enjoy the site and make amends).

I have even met a few of you good Dooyoo folks offline, and no you are not quite what I imagined you are more, but that's the beauty of it all, you get to know an awful lot about a person from what they write and how they write but you can never get the bigger picture or impact a person can give until you actually meet that person, even then we may only see part of who they really are. I had the privilege of meeting Jill in the flesh a few weeks back at a Dooyoo meet in Devon and if any of you ever have the chance to meet Jill then do, she is a wonderfully interesting lovely person that you will be proud to know, and everyone else who I had the pleasure of meeting that same evening you too are all special, a real lovely bunch.

So 17 months after joining here I am still, but why, for many reasons really, my first all my new found friends where would I be with out you all? My second Dooyoo and its members have opened me up to a whole new world of creativity, freedom to express myself and above all confidence in my developed and shaped writing ability, but how? Simple really communication, I write and people read, friends read, they rate, they comment and it's those, your comments that have helped me get this far with writing on the site, and those comments that have given me the inspiration and guidance that I have needed when writing.

Each and everyone of you have your own style, your own character and your own individual unique personalities that make you who you are and make me want to be part of your life, even if it is in a virtual sense, but virtual or no you are real people and I am proud to have you all as friends. I know I can't always get around to reading everything you have written sometimes my home life is too fast paced, and there are simply not enough hours in the day but that doesn't ever stop me thinking about you all any less.

So as far as the internet goes, my all
time favourite thing has to be my online buddies, my good friends that I like to think of as my extended family.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to you all for being the good genuine friends that you are to me, you all know who you are (well I hope so) and if you get the time, perhaps you would like to join in the celebration with Jill, myself and many others by writing about your favourite thing by the 9th of August in time for Jill's fourth anniversary of cancer free living.

As a gesture of goodwill I would like to donate 10000 Dooyoo to your chosen charity Jill cancer research, it's the least I can do.

So before I go, Jill enjoy life to the full, and enjoy many years to come cancer free, despite the mileage apart we are all with you and all proud to know you, I look forward to seeing your bonny face again soon, stay well hun.



"Jill Murphy asked me to write about one of my favourite things to help her celebrate her fourth anniversary of cancer-free living and to remind ourselves of all the nice things in the world. It takes more muscles to make a frown than a smile you know. If you'd like to join in, whether you've only just joined dooyoo, or you've been here ages, you're more than welcome. Just write about one of YOUR favourite things, make your title "A Favourite Thing: [your choice]" and include this paragraph at the foot of your opinion. And post before Friday, 9th August."

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