This weekend, I attended three events for a total of five author friends. It was great to see my friends and celebrate their successes, and I even won a door prize at one event.

But the thing that really surprised me wasn’t the fantastic turnout or the yummy snacks—it was the people I met. At these events, I met a member of one of my critique groups, a person I know from an Internet mailing list for writers, and an admitted lurker here on this blog.

I shouldn’t be that surprised (I’ve only been online more than half my life) (in years, not hours) (though it may be getting close there )—but it really hit me how much the Internet is bringing us together. (Not to mention the fact that three of the four authors I was visiting I met through the Internet and that I saw half a dozen other people that I knew, knew by reputation or knew of their sites at these events.)

We may not get the chance to meet in person any time soon (heck, or ever), but I’d hate to let the opportunity to connect pass us by. Whether this is your first time or your fiftieth, please feel free to introduce yourself in the comments. Let us know what you write, tell us about your latest project or success or sob story, ask questions (I may not have all the answers, but someone out there might!), look for friends or just say hello.

To quote The Who (and who doesn’t love to quote The Who?), “I really wanna know—c’mon tell me, who are you?”

(Also, feel free to add me as a friend or follow me on any of the social sites linked in the sidebar—but do include a message so I know you found me through the blog, and aren’t just a crazy person.)

Photo by ThinkPanama