Before stumbling onto Daily Kos in search of enlightenment and truth, I was fortunate to have been part of another great online community. Likely, you've never heard of the TimeWarp BBS, a local Atlanta online community formed by and for the fans and actors of THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW. Like DK, it morphed and grew in contributors and mission, and became a community of diverse people who cared about each other and a variety of causes. Like DKos, we could access the site at no cost, or purchase subscriptions that helped us all expand and strenghten our community. We took every opportunity to plan gatherings to bring us together in cyberspace and in real life. We helped those who were newbies, counseled those who had problems, celebrated weddings and graduations. Like all families we also argued and fought.
I may have been the eldest member of the TimeWarp, I am not really certain now. In any case, age didn't matter; nor did looks, wealth, race, creed, sexual orientation, gender, computer literacy or politics. I wasn't involved with RHPS, except as a member of the audience. I didn't manage any of the online forums, but did participate in discussion groups. I really just loved reading what people had to say. I was the audience, the reader, the watcher. In RL, I helped people pack up when they moved, did some childcare and was saved by 3 of the guys who took a break from studying at Georgia Tech to come over and fix my sump pump when my basement flooded.
It was true community. But alas, it went the way of the monochrome monitor as entities like aol became household names and computer display became all colorful. People moved on. Kids grew up. Marriages dissolved. I became disabled and isolated. I hate losing stuff.
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