Have you met the people you know online?

[atgcpaul]

I've been online for 20+ years now. Started in HS on my friend's local BBS then ytalk in college finding people through their school's Gopher site and now forums like this and Facebook.

Have you actually met any of the people you've interacted with online especially on forums like these?

I'd have to say my interactions with people on Craigslist are the most "interesting". Definitely gives you a big slice of all demographics.

I've met 4 people in person through BT3 and Woodnet. I was selling or giving away stuff. They were all pretty normal. The one time, though, the member let me run some super long lumber through his planer. That was really generous.

On a new forum I joined this week, I was asking about fixing something. Most replies were, "Oh, just upgrade and buy a new one" but one guy actually said he had a spare and would give it to me for the price of shipping. The upgraded part would have been >$125. I didn't meet him face to face (he's in CA) but we spoke and he was a hoot. He dropped it off at Fedex and it should be here next week. He said to just drop him a check (I'm still waiting for his address) and he added, "I trust ya'".

It really is the kindness of strangers that gives me hope for this country. You guys are alright!

[phrog]

Good to hear some positive stories like these; all you ever hear about on the news are negative.

[Ed62]

I met John Hunter a few years ago. He invited me to a meeting at their woodworking club. I went, but never joined the club. Not that the people weren't nice or the meeting wasn't interesting. I just never got around to it.

Two years ago, I decided to run a fundraising event for St. Jude's hospital for children. I contacted John, who made arrangements for me to talk to the membership, hoping for woodworking items to be donated for a sale. The membership responded very well with items or monetary donations. So thanks to John and several other people, we raised almost $4500.00 to help the kids who dearly needed whatever help they could get.

John is truly a good guy.

Ed

[woodturner]

Have you actually met any of the people you've interacted with online especially on forums like these?

Back in the fidonet days, we would get together for events, met and knew most of the people I talked with.

I'd have to say my interactions with people on Craigslist are the most "interesting". Definitely gives you a big slice of all demographics.

Definitely agree with that! The guy who called and threatened to hunt me down and kill me for selling "his" tile cutter was the worst. I'm not sure why he thought I would still have it after a month, or why he thought I should sell it to him instead of someone else, but he did and was "passionate" in the voicemail he left.

I've met 4 people in person through BT3 and Woodnet. I was selling or giving away stuff. They were all pretty normal.

I've met several people from BT3 and around 15 from Woodnet - we had a Woodnet gathering last summer. All the people from BT3 I have bought from, sold to, or met in-person have been great. BT3 is definitely friendlier than most boards.

[JSUPreston]

Have to admit, SWMBO and I met through a forum on AOL years ago. Been married going on 17 years now.

[greenacres2]

I've not met anyone from BT3, RouterForums or LumberJocks (though many of the LJ folks are fairly close to here--including one guy who sells incredible lumber!!). Through the Grantwriting section of a firefighting forum, i'm met many of those folks in person--either at grant seminars or fire shows.

Possibly the most interesting--and by far the most rewarding, i was at a training meeting in Houston several years ago, taking a required course to pick up a Haz-mat analyzer we were awarded in a Federal program. I was paired up with a guy from Mississippi and toward the end of the first morning he turned to me and said "you're greenacres2 from the forums ain't ya?" I asked how he knew--he said i talked just like i wrote. Then he proceded to thank me for helping with the editing the narrative for the piece of equipment we had both won, and showed me pictures of the turn-out gear i'd helped him with on another project. Seemed wierd that i knew an electronic person pretty well, but spent 4 hours with him in person before we realized we knew each other. So much for being an "anonymous society"!!!

We all get picking on each other from time to time, and have disagreements. But all told--though a disfunctional group, my "woodworking" family isn't nearly as disfunctional as my "real" family. Have a great weekend.

[BigguyZ]

Not including online dating?? Seems nearly impossible to meet people "in public" these days.

But other than that, I just recently met Brian from here when he offered to help me out with a narly piece of wood in need of a drum sander. It was fun. Not only did the wood come out wonderfully, we talked shop, and I got to see some wonderful work that I hope do do half as well on for my own future projects...

[Pappy]

I have met several of the members here on BT3. Most through meetings at the woodworking shows in Houston, but a couple of local members that are local.

Sawduster, who is no longer with us, helped me out many years ago before I had a planer.

Another, Lonnie, is nearby and had a bandsaw mill and did a lot of sawing for me.

I first met Jeff, in San Antonio, when I gave him a folding work bench I was getting rid of. We have met up several times for coffee when I was in SA and he stopped to visit and bring flowers to my wife when she was in the hospital several years ago.

When I was making trips to Wichita Falls I visited with another member that lived there.

[BadeMillsap]

Pappy if you find yourself in Bulverde give me a shout... In the book

BadeMillsap

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

[Pappy]

Pappy if you find yourself in Bulverde give me a shout... In the book

BadeMillsap

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

Got 2 weeks off coming up. Might just take a ride down your way....

[leehljp]

Back in the "computer club" era of the mid-80s to early '90s, it was fairly easy to meet "local" members as I did in the Tokyo-Yokohama area.

Beyond that here, I met Bill Stacks (Dud) and Sam Conder in Memphis some years ago. And I met Rod Kirby when he and his wife visited Tokyo a few years ago.

I left this out in the original post and apologize to Lee and Larry Rogers. I met both of them in LA - that is Lower Alabama, more specifically, Mobile, several years ago and went to both of their homes. I have a "Redneck Workshop" plaque on the wall at my office that Larry gave me at the time. So of all people, I should not have forgotten that. (Actually, I was posting in a hurry. LOML was calling me that she was ready for our "outing" today, which was our 44th anniversary. And I remembered this about 5 minutes after we left the house for the day.)

When I was in Nagoya, I met a couple of pen turners who came through visiting the land there. There are a few pen turners in N. MS that I have not met but we have had freinds in common. (Not quite the same thing.)

[chopnhack]

Woodworking is the only active community I belong to. I come here because time and travel restricts my connectivity with live local events and woodworkers. I don't think I have met anyone from BT3. Anyone else in Florida left on this site?

[Pappy]

I missed a couple of meetings, too.

Several of us met up with Rod Kirby a few years ago when he brought Carol to Houston for a quilting convention.

Sam was in Austin on business a while back and I picked him up and brought him to the house for the evening and took him out for some good Mex-Tex.