One of the things I really like about LJ...

[randomness]

...is when my friends start talking to each other in comments on my page.

Some recent examples in particular stand out, because they involve people who (as far as I know) have never met in real life.

• ccunningham and bookteacher, about the library at Skywalker Ranch


• madbodger and julianyap, on reference sources for the banning of marriage by the early Christian church


• eeyorecol and skreeky, on mixed (baseball) marriages


• coraline and holmes_iv, about Wagner's Lohengrin.
  

I think I'm so pleased about this because one of the things I've always liked about throwing parties is putting people from the many disparate social groups in my life together. But large parties are problematic in many ways. Even when they work well, it's by no means assured that the people who would have things to say to each other will actually meet. Moreover, LJ is better at this than I could ever be, even if I carefully picked guests for a small party, because people will end up commenting on things I had little if any idea they were interested in.

Well! I suppose I've found the second reason for my LiveJournal's existence.

Comments

[eeyorecol.livejournal.com]

I will say that the times that I have checked my e-mail and had an LJ comment from someone I don't know, it's usually because I replied to something that you wrote...

[nafe.livejournal.com]

I don't think you should take this revelation as an excuse not to throw the small finely crafted parties. I have always loved this idea, and think it should be implemented.

[mentalapse.livejournal.com]

Dude, your lj is starting to sound like Coffee Talk with Linda Richman, and you've told us to discuss how the Magical Mystery Tour was neither magical, nor mysterious, nor a tour.

Why I shouldn't throw lj parties

[gee-tar.livejournal.com]

Consider yourself lucky. The comments on my lj from people who don't know each other often end up getting into fights.

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

i love it when people meet in my LJ. it always makes me feel so nexus-y.

well, hello there...

[silk-roses.livejournal.com]

hey, you friended me in my other LJ (aqua_pura - which is now, alas and alack, deleted because it was discovered by people who had no business reading it...a.k.a. my mother.) I have now moved my journal to this account, and I'd love to know who you are...so...drop me a line? :)