By The Way...

I'll tell you a little story. When I started my job here at AOL Journals, I was under the impression that it would a short term job -- that I would help out a little for a few month to get the AOL-J community going, and then go back to whatever it was that I was doing with my time before I was doing this. But as today marks the official third anniversary of AOL Journals, and I'm still here, I guess you say that I guess I was wrong about this being a temporary gig.

For which I am grateful. It's been an honor and a privilege to watch AOL Journals grow and evelop. We've had growing pains along the way, to be sure -- what community doesn't -- but at the end of the day AOL Journals is one of the most unique communities of people you are going to find online, and I'm proud to be part of it and proud to have helped it develop as far as it has.

It's also been a lot of fun to share parts of my life with you. AOL Journals has always been a place of encouragement about my other writing career -- the one where I write books -- and it's been wonderful to be able to share the events in that with you. This upcoming weekend, as many of you know, I'll be in Anaheim to discover if my novel Old Man's War win the Hugo Award for Best Novel. I've shared many of the steps OMW had toward publication with you folks, and you can bet that I'll keep you posted on this part of its adventure. Win or lose, you've been part of its success, and I thank you.

An anniversary is a time when people allow themselves to look back, but I think it's more exciting to look forward. As far as AOL Journals has come, we still have places to go and adventures to have here, as members of the AOL-J share their lives. I'm glad to be part of the continuing adventure, and I can't wait to see where else this community will go in the future.

Thanks for making AOL Journals such an incredible place to be. I'm very glad this wasn't only a temp job. It's an important part of my life now, and I continue to be honored and humbled that I get to be part of this community. Thank you again.

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• #18 Comment from lifes2odd 
  8/22/06 6:28 PM | Permalink

  Thanks for being a part of it all! Cheers to the third year!
  Martha :-)
  http://journals.aol.com/lifes2odd/Justvisiting/
• #17 Comment from mavarin 
  8/21/06 10:45 PM | Permalink

  Nicely put, John.  I was all verklempt when I read this earlier today.
  
  Have fun in sunny So Cal, and good luck at Worldcon!
  
  Karen
• #16 Comment from tendernoggle 
  8/21/06 9:13 PM | Permalink

  JOHN,
  I FIND IT SO AWESOME THAT WE ALL COME TOGETHER HERE AND SHARE OUR LIVES....WE HAVE YOU TO THANK FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE FOR US TOO...
  CARLENE
• #15 Comment from rebuketheworld 
  8/21/06 5:56 PM | Permalink

  I love AOL journals. We do need an AOL directory but even without it, people get to know each other. It feels like a trusted community!
• #14 Comment from scotthlori 
  8/21/06 4:13 PM | Permalink

  Although I feel AOL journals could use some improvement (don't we all?), I, for the most part am very please with the community.  :o)  It has changed my life as it has for thousands of others.
  
  I must say this though ... to those individuals who still feel that AOL journals is ruled by cliques ... this isn't high school.  There are THOUSANDS of journals to choose from which means there HAS to be more than one clique.  If you are a kind hearted person, write in your journal regularly, and put yourself out there for others to know you, you will find your own clique.  I am always amazed by people who basically complain that they don't "belong" yet they don't write regularly in there journal or write anything substantial.  And how can you expect folks to visit your journal when you don't visit and comment when you can?
  
  LORI
  
  Who I am… underneath it all:  
  http://journals.aol.com/scotthlori/DiscoveringMe
  
  My Spiritual Journal:  
  http://journals.aol.com/scotthlori/PreciousMetal
  
  just breathe … {private}