MetaFilter

What's the deal with your nickname? How did you get it? If your nickname is self-explanatory, then tell everyone when you first started using the internet, and what was the first thing that made you say "wow, this isn't just a place for freaks after all?" Was it a website? Was it an email from a long-lost friend? Go on, spill it.

I landed on MetaFilter in the Dark Ages, and hung by the ceiling watching the shenanigans remorsefully: I couldn't get up the chutzpah to join the festivities for any number of cowardly reasons, but I loved it for its camaraderie and intelligence.

In September of 2001 something horrible happened, and I, along with hundreds of others, simultaneously flooded membership while we looked for answers, solace, and hope in what was a truly hopeless time. I never wrote many comments, nor did I post to the front page, but MetaFilter was my first online home.

Since then, I've become a writer, a mom, and a graphic designer, all of which in some way trace back to here, from the ebbs and flows of great dialogue, helpful advice, unbelievably great humor and a depth of compassion rarely found in the wild.

In my case, silence isn't inactivity, it's merely waiting for the right moment to speak.