The forums are for courses but there are around 100 social forums, and around 1000 or so people online at any one time. As I’ve gone through different areas of study, I’ve met lots of people doing the same courses, some have disappeared and some I have stayed friends with during my 4 years with the ou, even though we’ve veered off to do different courses.

I have forged some great friendships and part of the reason is that you get down to nitty gritty conversations pretty quickly. With f2f it takes much longer, if ever, to be in a position to divulge some pretty deep stuff about yourself, whereas online, it’s easier to ask questions, easier to talk about yourself, and easier to drop your guard. Sometimes that might not be a good thing, but in my experience it results in wonderful sharing, caring and supportive friendships of the like that I don’t have offline.

I’d agree with your gran that some of the internet is evil, but that’s life, there’s good and bad in everything. The internet intensifies this in making some deep long lasting friendships, but also it’s easier to to have a row online. There are quite a few rows on the ou forums, and it’s easy to come back with a retort that you might not make f2f, and click send, much less easy in real life.

In real life communities and neighbourhoods, people don’t have time to communicate properly, they probably have nothing in common apart from the area they live in, and are probably involved in communities of sports or workmates or pubs in some other locale. Real life homes and communities seem more like dormitories and the real work of forming friendships is carried on either online or away from where you live.

Getting back to your point, I agree, the internet is responsible for making some very strong and wonderful friendships.

I agree with what you say there. Good luck with your arguments with you gran. If she watches TV remind her that, as one of your previous commentators said, they said that TV was evil when that started. For what it’s worth, I think that evil comes from people who like to tell others what to do. And those people who listen without thinking are guilty by association.

My favourite sound bite from the “you and yours” programme was the comment that:

The printing press was invented in 1440. Within 70 years there was a major religious schism followed by war for 200 years. But no-one would suggest that the printing press was a force for ill.

I am so sorry that illness is restricting your life so much and I admire your attitude in pushing ahead and making the most with what you can do. May the wind be always at your back. Often a bad event leads to a wonderful new beginning. It did for me.

Good luck