Last September, I suspended some of my inhibitions and embarked on a social networking experiment by spending a weekend with people I’d met on Newsvine. This Vinemeet was the event that sort of solidified my theory that Newsvine was much more than just a social networking site and hub for citizen journalists, but a place where virtual friendships become real. There have been several Vinemeets over the last year but this weekend I hopped on a plane (gasp!) to meet a few more practical strangers and reinforce the sense of community and camaraderie on the ‘Vine.

Where the last meet I attended was only a few hours’ drive away from home in the San Bernardino Mountains, this one took place in Columbus, OH at the home of Ryan Stolte-Sawa and Mykola Bilokonsky. So what made me decide this Vinemeet was worth flying across country for? It all started with visions and dreams of hanging out with various folks from previous Vinemeets. My community activity has also increased over the last few months as have my feelings of connectedness with some of the people I encounter most frequently. In all honesty, I have developed closer connections with people from Newsvine than some people I have encountered in real life. I’m a member of Newsvine Music: Listen In, was recently elected as a community group moderator and I’m even in semi-daily contact with some of these people either by virtue of having them as chat contacts or through site participation; Newsvine and its community have become a pretty big part of my life.

When Ryan made the announcement that she was hosting Vinemeet AWEsome I decided almost right away that I was going to make the trip. The truth is that I have been looking for excuses to travel and this one seemed like as good a reason as any. Not to be dissuaded, I looked at airfare options and chose the cheapest flight I could find, almost two months before the scheduled meet, committing myself even further.