Since the creation of the Internet, people have been able to communicate and meet new people as never before. Through chat rooms, e-mail discussion groups and instant messaging, a person in Idaho for instance, who has never left his or her home state, can now befriend a person in Hawaii who they probably never would have met without going on-line. Or, someone in Alaska can become pen pals with someone all the way on the other side of the world – without even leaving their own home.

When I pulled onto the Information Superhighway for the first time, I had no idea how much the Internet had to offer, and to be honest, I still don’t. I know how to “surf the web” as well as I know how to surf the shores of California – and I have never even been there. My point is that I never really knew just how many people you can meet and friends you can make over the Internet – until I became the Moderator of the South Park Booster Club.

Before my first day as Moderator on September 1, 1999, I would go on-line and check out a few sites here and there, but I would never bother with chat rooms or discussion groups only because I didn’t understand them – I do, however, understand South Park – so when it was my turn to take the reigns of the Booster Club, it was my responsibility to, through e-mail, send two daily newsletters to over 25,000 people all over the world. So now, little old me from Brooklyn, New York was suddenly communicating with people on all four corners of the globe. From Australia to Arizona, from Britain to Bangkok, and from Ireland to Illinois, I was “talking” to people who I never would have had the pleasure of “meeting” if I never became Moderator of the Booster Club.

When I started as Moderator, my predecessor Joe told me to expect almost 100 e-mails a day about South Park’s latest episode and the Digest’s latest topic of discussion – but, almost immediately, I started receiving so much more than that. Besides those e-mails, I was – and still am – receiving greetings, e-cards, personal e-mails and hellos from many of the Digest’s members every single day. Each time I check my e-mail, I get a letter from someone telling me that they think I am doing a great job as Moderator and that they like where I have taken the Digest. So instead of just being the Moderator of a Booster Club who would send it’s members a daily e-mail, I became someone who they looked forward to hearing from and someone who they wanted to talk to – and vice versa.

In addition to discussing South Park, people’s personal interests and issues do occasionally enter our daily discussions. For example, a recent topic of discussion in the Digest has been my lack of Christmas spirit. When I mentioned the fact that I had no Christmas spirit, I simply asked for some advice from anyone on how I can regain my holiday spirit – what I received instead was hundreds of e-mails from people offering me well wishes and ideas on how to regain my lost Christmas spirit. I could not believe the overwhelming response I received from a group of people who I thought only saw me as their Booster Club Moderator – I now realize that they see me as much more – and believe me – that feeling is mutual.

I am happy to say that I am slowly but surely regaining my holiday spirit. While there are many reasons for this, the biggest thanks go to the members of the South Park Booster Club, because to me, they are so much more than members of a daily newsletter – they are wonderful friends that I have never met – but talk to every single day.

I must tell you that I feel so lucky to have gotten this job as Moderator, because while working for one of television’s hottest shows is an incredible feeling, nothing could replace the feeling I get from hearing from all the new friends I have made all over the world.

So to them, I say thank you. Thank you for making my job as Moderator fun and easy – and thank you for your friendship.

To borrow a line from another friend of ours – I love you guys.