In response to Derek's comment: I think one of the critical factors is one of Steve Woolgar's "Five Rules of Virtuality" in Virtual Society (2002) where it is noted: "The more virtual, the more real". Echoing the idea that communication can increase in bandwidth (chat, telephone, etc.) to people already known that one has fun with, and in the case of this list, people I look forward to seeing once a year. For me, it's the remembrance of our (brief) F2F encounters that provides more motivation to get on the list and 'have fun' posting to people I perceive as friends. It's the work and hard effort of the AoIR Annual Conference (go, team!) that I attend with great anticipation each year (definitely not virtual) that means I stay in touch online with pals, aquaintances and scholars throughout the rest of the year. Cheers, Denise P.S. Thinking of those in London tonight. Denise N. Rall, PhD candidate, School of Environ. Science, Southern Cross University, Lismore NSW 2480 Sustainable Forestry Mentoring Coordinator & Internet Researcher Room T2.12, +61 (0)2 6620 3577 Tuesdays or Mobile 0438 233 344 http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/rsm/staff/pages/drall/index.html