Despite appearances, the world is an incredibly small place.  Many things contribute to its smallness--I was recently in blatant awe over how small we've made the world, simply through the invention of flight--but the greatest of all seems to be the internet.

The internet is all about connections.  And while you may glance at that sentence and infer technical connections between computers and servers and routers and Al Gore, I'm actually referring to personal connections.

YouTube isn't about posting videos to a website, it's about sharing videos with people.

Email isn't about receiving and archiving messages, it's about communicating and having one-on-one discussions with people.

Midget porn websites aren't about, well, uh ... this might be where the analogy takes a left turn.

My point is that when people scoff at turning to the internet to meet friends or--god forbid--pursue a relationship, I feel inclined to slap them upside their head.  The internet has made the world smaller.  It has made people accessible.

Most importantly, in terms of pursuing meaningful relationships--be it a friendship or otherwise--it forces the participants to forgo the shallow, insignificance of real life and cut straight to the core of matters.

What better way is there to get to know an individual than by to sharing written correspondence.  Each person has an opportunity to share--to whatever length they so desire--anything they wish.  The other participant then has the floor turned over and they can respond to anything that was written, share something else, or pontificate in a completely different direction.

The internet strips away the social awkwardness of real life.  The internet provides a new common ground and a level playing field.

The internet, above all, makes the world smaller.  It broadens our opportunities.  If life is like the internet, and all about the connections we make with other people, then the internet makes it possible to find those connections with anybody, anywhere in the world.

How cool is that?