One Last Word.

The semester is almost over and this blog will soon be a relic of the past, something for me to look back on as a reminder of that marvelous spring term that I spent inside a dark, windowless basement, staring at a computer screen, growing sallow and pale, ignorant of the beautiful weather outside...

Just kidding. Truth be told, there's nowhere I would rather have been than in that dark basement. This class has been one of my best experiences at BYU so far. It's been hard, but I've learned and grown so much. I really felt the need to write this last post so I could thank everyone who has helped and inspired me the last few weeks.

First, a last word about my topic, which means a lot to me. I've discovered various online communities serving women all over the world. I've been amazed and grateful for the generosity and kindness that I've seen and that has been extended to me by so many truly fantastic women. I'd like to especially thank Susan Taylor, Jory Des Jardins, and Elisa Camahort Page, who responded to my humble pleas for their opinion even though I'm sure they had a lot of better things to do with their time. I'd like to also thank the various other women who responded to blog posts, forum posts, comments, and all my various other methods of communication. Every single person who responded to me, even though they may never see this, was very helpful to me in providing aid and social proof.

One writer, Kathryn C. Lang, just recently responded to a question I asked in a forum on SheWrites: How has the Internet helped you as a writer? Lang says, "...It's opening doors to readers and friends (new and old) that may have gone undiscovered. The internet is making my world smaller - and bigger - all at the same time." When I read this, I felt a soaring sense that this was exactly what I was trying to say in my research paper. It was really amazing to have just finished it and then to reach that climax, reading that comment, and knowing that what I was writing about was true and real and very relevant.

There have been dozens of people who have helped me a ton with my project and in the class. I want to especially thank Holly and Whitney, the members of my cohort. They both helped me so much with clarifying my topic, finding sources, encouraging me, supporting me, and reminding me how much I love what I'm doing. I also really want to thank all my other class members, who offered both encouragement and critique when I needed it, and who inspired me with their greatness.

I want to thank all the bloggers whose blogs I've read and appreciated and even quoted. They are fantastic and inspiring. They are truly the Melanies of the digital age.



Closer to home, I want to thank my parents, who read the blog and offered encouragement. I even convinced my mother to create a blog of her own! My parents are always there for me and without their generosity and support I wouldn't even be at school getting such a great education.

Thank you to my sister Carrie, who always responded to my calls for help and was even willing to help my classmate whom she had never met. Carrie is an inspiration to me.

Last but definitely not least, I have my professor to thank. Dr. Burton has inspired, encouraged, critiqued, directed, aided, listened, and most of all, cared. He told us all that we have something to say and that we don't have to wait until we've graduated to put our voices out there. He has inspired me more than I can say.

Well, this heartfelt post has turned out to be much longer than I expected, but a lot of people have put something into this project. Even though I eventually had to be the one to sit down and write the paper, I would be lying if I said I did it all by myself. Thanks to all of you, this "school project" turned into something much more meaningful. Thank you.