Reverb 10: December 7th: Community

This post is part of Reverb 10.

December 7 – Community

Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

(Author: Cali Harris)

Online community is a big thing for me. I registered at Sweet Shoppe Designs in 2007 and started posting heavily in 2008. I can't say I joined any new communities in 2010 because there hasn't been a need for me to!

I'm not a huge fan of mommy boards...in the past I've tried them out, and even enjoyed them in part, but never so much that I couldn't leave and never look back. (I joined my first mommy board in 1999!) I have a private mom's board with only about a dozen active members that I've enjoyed for almost 5 years now. The busy-ness of the board has waxed and waned but the friendships remain.

During 2009 I joined briefly a few medical support communities for 2 different medical conditions I was dealing with. One condition proved temporary, the other permanent, but both experiences taught me I wasn't a huge fan of online medical communities, either.

Here's the part where I generalize. I do not wish to offend, but indulge me my stereotyping and if your experience is different, that is fantastic. Mommy communities often seem judgmental to me. Also, longevity-wise, those who stick it out over time often seem to have extreme viewpoints. You know the ones. You might be one of the ones. I am not.

Medical communities...well IMHO they fixate. I don't have time to fixate on my medical condition(s) , be they temporary or permanent. Sometimes I wish to...and I allow it for a short while then force myself to adapt and move on.

Social media communities are great too...in moderation.

So that brings me right back to where I began...in a scrap community in 07/08. I have frequented many scrap communities, actually. I've been happy in various communities at various times. But the group of girls in my private mom's board and in my scrapping community at Sweet Shoppe Designs...is really where it's at for me.

The girls (and guy) have seen me through so much...been there for me through times of heavy posting and times when I was quiet...and through the good and the bad. As much as I've been willing to share, they've been willing to listen, encourage, and commiserate. I can't imagine seeking out a new community in 2011. I'm happy with the homes I have!