The Internet is a Heck of a Tool!

Earlier this afternoon I had a visit from a from gentleman from Minnesota.  That's right.  A good natured fellow named Jim made his way all the way down to Southeast Georgia for some old rusty farm implements (we like to call them treasures.)  Jim and I got hooked up through another gentleman, Larry, via an antique tractor Web site called Yesterday's Tractor.  Granted....he was in Georgia on other business, but still.  The dude came From Minnesota to buy a couple of sets of old harrows!  Pretty impressive.  I'm very thankful that he did and it was a pleasure being able to chat with him for a few minutes about the passion that we share.

That got me to thinking about how the internet has changed so much in terms of meeting people.  I'm not talking about dating or any of that stuff.  Just normal interests that used to be shared locally are now shared nationwide and even worldwide.  Facebook is only the beginning.  I've been able to reconnect to friends whom I would otherwise never have seen again.  I even reconnected with a high school classmate who is now in Hawaii.  I might not come back either if I were in Hawaii.  There are also relationships that I've formed with folks that I have never met.  I share the antique tractor hobby with folks from as far as New Zealand thanks to online forums.  Craigslist and eBay have brought buyers and sellers of just about anything together on a computer screen.  Thanks to a Kurt Busch fan site I have formed cyber friendships with folks from Missouri, Wyoming, Washington, Deleware, Texas, New Jersey, Michigan, California and even Canada.  I do at least have the opportunity to possibly meet some of these folks at a race one day.  Hey guys and gals.  Hope you're reading tonight :)

Then there is this Back 'er Down blog and the few folks who read here.  My stats show that there are folks from all over though most don't really comment.  They're span bots for all I know, LOL.  I'm getting nothing like some of the professional bloggers, but I do get my fair share of traffic for a novice :)  It's still pretty amazing that are a few folks like to read what I spew.  The world of blogging has opened my eyes to a lot of like minded writers.  I became a fan of a lot of different writers and it gave me the comfort to start writing about various topics.  It actually feels pretty good just to write.  No pressure to gain readership.  No worries about deadlines or space constraints.  I just blab about whatever I'm thinking about or whatever I think needs to be said.  It's pretty cool.  The internet gave me those folks and the internet gave me that opportunity.  I may be singing a different tune when Skynet becomes self aware and the machines take over, but for now....it's cool.

Y'all take it easy,

Alex