In the early weeks of my love affair with the internet, I visited the web site of Dave Siegel, the guru of web design, and on his site discovered a link to his journal. He was opinionated and he had readers who corresponded with him on his soapbox.

He started a discussion list where people who wrote to him about his journal entries could also write to each other. You could join this list if you wanted, and participate (or not) in the conversation. It was not to be a list about technical web design stuff; that was strictly forbidden. It was to be for the layperson who just wanted to talk about any subject. Another list would eventually be created for those who wanted to exchange technical information; the Daveworld list was to be a community parlour, where everyone could participate if they chose.

Meanwhile, Dave carried on with his journal.

A list member who had an online journal of her own wrote a guest entry in Dave's journal. I responded with an email, and she suggested I think about joining the Daveworld mailing list.

Eventually, Dave decided to stop writing his journal.

The Daveworld list carried on under its own steam. At the moment there is not the high number of active members there have been at various times. It's cyclical and traffic depends on what topic of conversation comes up, and what's happening in people's lives, of course. But Daveworld has taken on a life of its own and, while the banter can be funny or sweet or serious or just goofy, I have come to care for these people and consider them my friends.

Spring is still on the list, of course. She's a Daveworld staple, now living down in Florida with Sean, another DW oldtimer. Marcus is in the humid southern U.S. too. There's Katherine, writing whimsically and yet so earthily from her Moab dome. She's been with the list since its inception. Jeanne is in Mexico City, busily building her house which is her personal work of art. There's Derek, one of the few Canadians (all very nice--ahem--naturally) currently active onlist; there are two Scotts, whom I interchange regularly in my mind and will until ScottR supplies a photo; Marya's our punny California Girl in her house of constant cameraderie.

Beth had her first baby, and it's been a lovely ride she's shared with us on the list. It's such a pleasure to see her with this joy. I don't think it's been easy, but she wouldn't trade her little treasure for anything. Ceridwen's been awfully quiet lately, but with a passle of kids and a new paper route, we know she's busy and probably didn't remember to re-subscribe after our last round of technical difficulties. Hopefully she's back among us soon. Sasha is the maestro who keeps the list running smoothly -- and usually it does. But when upon occasion it goes down, Sasha takes care of the problem in record time.

They've been visiting each other all over the place, too. Judy, an unsubscribed dubber (dw'er) (once a dubber, always a dubber?) who lives in Chicago, took a trip to see Jeanne in Mexico and then went to visit Katherine and stayed half a year. They've met for cheesecake/carrotcake/Isaychocolatecakeorbust. They've met for a vegetarian feast or an ice cream cone at the beach.

There have been several romances, and mini-reunions, mostly stateside. Sometimes Canada seems a million miles away from all the action.

Over in South Africa, Steve has been with us from early days. So has Stephen, who hails from Australia. The list once had another Steve too, and with all three of them posting regularly and Dave himself never participating onlist, there was some joking about whether the list name should be changed to Steveworld. Now it tends to be dubbed Davelessworld.

Pat is an American, now a translator living in Norway. Timothy is in Virginia, a painter of the colours of the spirit. Darius is your consummate California Boy, from whom we are still expecting photos of the neverending kitchen-remodelling.

I'll be sitting here all day if I try to mention everybody, and I'm sure to miss many. Suffice it to say, I've mentioned some of our lifers. We haven't heard much from deAnna or Stacia lately -- both newlyweds, donchaknow. We happily welcome all newcomers, and prodigal sons -- like Macker, our resident Church Guy, who took a little hiatus and is back in full force, and recently Amy, a new mom who's popped in again after a long absence.

We lost Nonie in 2001. She posted regularly and heavily for years and died suddenly from pancreatic cancer. In a way, she died the way she said she'd choose to -- quickly, not long-drawn-out -- so we couldn't begrudge her leaving us the way she did. But it hurt to lose her. She was loved, and to us she is still a part of the list -- just uncharacteristically quiet.

This is a sketchy little background about the group of people I call the Denizens of Daveworld; it doesn't do the list dynamics justice. It can't. You have to come and see for yourself. It is a community rich in character and intelligence, heart and humour. We are friends as well as online acquaintances. I go to them to share goings-on of my life and to hear about theirs; when I need any kind of information, I can post my question to the list and someone will invariably know the answer or point me to it; they give me much to think about, help me look at life from a different perspective than my own, and pretty much endlessly entertain me. They make me laugh all the time.

I have found friends among these people, and I would like to introduce you to them. Would you care to join us for a cup of coffee or a beer (you need to be drinking something you can spew on your monitor when someone makes you laugh), and see if you find yourself jumping into the conversation?

If so, please send an email to majordomo@3sheep.com, with

subscribe daveworld

in the body of the message.

Give yourself a couple days to pick up the conversational threads so things start making sense. It might take a day or so to hook you -- it took less than one day, for me. I thought I'd lurk for a while and get a feel for the atmosphere, but someone's question about movies stimulated me to jump in and I've been a dubber ever since.

I wouldn't be without it to savour with my morning cups of coffee. And my late-night glasses of wine. And my wee-hours-of-the-morning, quiet-in-my-housecoat insomnias.

It's a wonderful list, with wonderful people, and I think you'll like it. So whenever you're ready -- your teeth don't have to be brushed, your hair doesn't have to be combed, and you don't have to put on clothes or deodorant -- come 'set a spell.'

Kate