Actually, I do have more to add here. When the events of September 11, 2001 happened, I was frantic until I knew that the posters who live in NYC and Pennsylvania and Washington were OK. These are people I’ve never met IRL, but it’s a measure of how much this community has touched my heart that everytime I hear about something bad happening in any US state my first thought is “is poster X” OK.
It is strange to consider how important an online community can be, considering how new they are. Twenty years ago, pretty much everyone I knew “online” were fellow geeks. Now, it’s as diverse as the real world and more interesting.
The SDMB and UnaBoard have become refuges for me; a place to go when I’m frustrated, or depresessed or excited or needing diversion. I’ve met SDMB people in three different countries, and become good friends with others.
On a recent 14 hour flight, my biggest frustration was not the cramped seat; it was that I didn’t have access to either board. 
Hmmm what does this place mean to me ? Quite a bit actually, you notice I said this place and not the board right ?
This is a place to me, a place I come to talk to my friends about what is happening with me and to find out about what is going on in their lives. And I have been able to laugh and yes to cry with and for other posters here and to pray for / think about them too.
This place and the people who post here mean more to me than I am able to properly express. Over the past few years there has been a lot of problems in my life, family members dying, my own health issues blah, blah, blah.
And there have been some good things too. I have been able to come here and share all of that and to know that people here cared.
I have been helped in ways that totally shocked me when it happened and I have been comforted way more than I would ever have thought possible by people who I have never met before I became a member of this community. And my life is all the better for it. The people here are like a second family to me.
The dopers I have met face to face have also brought much joy into my life because they accept me for who I am, I have no need to pretend with people here.
This is NOT just a message board
“Place” is the operative word. The SDMB is an amazing place. I’ve recommended it to friends and family unreservedly. I’ve learned a lot, made a complete fool of myself (and felt toe-curlingly embarrassed), been complimented on my knowledge (and felt a warm glow of smugness) and generally had a good time. The range of knowledge is impressive (you can get a sensible and informative answer on anything), the range of opinion is awesome, (from people who consider that Genghis Khan had some dangerous left wing ideas to those who think Karl Marx was a spokesperson for capitalism) and the quality of debate is far superior to any parliament. And there are a lot of genuinely kind and caring people of all opinions and beliefs.
The SDMB is a community. If it had a physical location, I’d move there. 
Can I please use that as a sig? I think you’ve quite eloquently expressed - in a few words - what all of us have been trying to convey in this thread.
** repirsie**, sure, go ahead. Gives me another warm glow of smugness.
reprise, sorry about the total balls up with speling your name. Another toe-curlingly embarrassing moment.:wally
Too much. I think it’s going to get me in trouble at work.
I’ve decided to disengage.
Pretty much sums it up for me too. I love to read the board, but rarely form opinions on other posters. I tend to pay relatively little attention to the author of posts, and even when I do have a “Who the hell posted that?!” moment, within 5 minutes I’ve usually forgotten who it was.
Having said that, the Dopefests I’ve attended have been damn fine occasions, and it’s been a lot of fun to meet other members in the flesh. I guess I’m just a sucker for good old fashioned IRL meetings.
[confession] Before my first Dopefest, I had to run searches on all the attendees. I had no previous ideas who most of them were;)
[/confession]
Just testing my new sig…
jjimm, are you leaving us?
How will I cope?
I’ll have to seek counselling!
(Seriously, are you disappearing, or just lessening the time spent here?)
Of course it helps if you remember to tick the “show sig” box.
Thanks you so much Ga.
I was talking about internal IP addresses vs computer names the other day with the big boss man, and he said “we use computer names to monitor internet usage”, then gave me a funny look. The next day, another person asked me to write up several procedures for stuff that only I can do, another person asked me for a copy of the graphics package I use, and yet another person asked me for a copy of my HTML editor and HTML tutorials on the Web. I started putting two and two and two and two together to equal eleven, and ended up in a state of high paranoia caused by a guilty conscience. Probably nothing to worry about, but also probably time to take a rest.
I’ll look in from home, but since that costs units of your earth money, I won’t be able to be as involved as before.
Be seeing you!
I am an escapee from a repressive and hostile “spiritual” forum. There, if you were reasonably intelligent, you were ridiculed. Skepticism and cynicism were dirty words.
Here I can learn so much! I am a talkative Newbie who marvels at the uniqueness of this place. It is both comfortable and challenging.
I am slightly agoraphobic. The “realness” of the give and take here is very important to me.
iampunha, you mentioned that you met your fiance here. My husband and I also met over our computers. (Commodore 64, RIP) We’ve been married seventeen years.
On 9-11, my husband and I didn’t turn on the TV. We didn’t know what had happened until 1:00 PM. So I got all of it at once. Recently I read the posts that were made here on that day. It is a stunningly powerful thread and gave me a better sense of what it was like moment by moment. Very, very moving.
Thank you all for being so welcoming!
ahem Don’t you mean she? And if you’re referring to NYCfest, then yeah I’ll be there.
Oh and as for the SDMB meaning anything to me…It’s got a special place in my heart. If it weren’t for the SDMB I wouldn’t have the man shaped blob of wonderful that goes by the name of Punha.
I love this place…
Fizzy’s coming with my to NYC, Gorgon I asked back in early October, maybe even September, so we could have lots of time to get her mother okay with it. The after-dinner bar will be another matter, but it would take a good deal of really bad luck for us not to show.
“man-shaped blob” … Um, in the words of Satan, thanks for the ringing endorsement, honey!
[sub]bandname[/sub]
Yep, that’s pretty much how I feel after reading jjimm’s post.
jjjim You are choosing an actual paying job over this place? Obviously, you need to quit and start a serious drinking habit and post more. Being that your in the irish persuasion, this should be imprinted in your DNA.