That's so true, Mare. Almost all of my pre-2007 fanfic friends I met by exchanging feedback through email, which led to IM conversations and friendships that went beyond the reader/writer relationship. I started a forum for my site in November 2006, and shortly after that, this forum was created and I joined here, and I've made a lot more friends through both, as well as Twitter. Forums and social media sites make it so much easier to have discussions with groups of people, not just one on one through email or IM, so I've made a lot of connections through mutual friends. And with big BSB events like the cruise and most fans being older and able to travel farther for shows, it's become easier to meet in person and have a friendship outside of the internet as well.