On losing an internet friend.
Monday, July 15, 2013
I am quite bad at being a human being. Like most of us, I amble from interaction to interaction and sort of assume that the people who make the day more bearable will generally always be around and continue to do so.
Like most of us, I don't always stop to consider that their presence might be temporary.
Friends from the internet, on the other hand, I have always regarded as essentially temporary. Websites change, people are affected by events in real life and stop posting, or come back after years and years...all kinds of things happen.
The other night, I found out that a poster from various Doctor Who forums had died. A bloke I knew as "Zoltar". And by "knew" I mean was aware of and occasionally chatted with and held a few basic opinions about.
It turns out Zoltar's first name was Scott.
Scott's death affected me way more than it should have, given that I barely knew the guy, and I was startled to realise that I saw it as basically unfair.
Scott was a friendly, intelligent, funny guy who had mastered the skill that I never did - he didn't let the internet turn him into a complete arse. He came across as, above all else, a nice guy. The sort of man you would be pleased to see no matter what else was going on. The sort of man who touched a lot of lives with nothing but warmth and light.
That's the impression I get from reading the tributes to him popping up over the internet. It's also the impression I had of him. I should have taken the time to get to know him better, but that's my problem.
My sympathies are with Scott's family and loved ones, who have lost someone dear to them. I hope there's some comfort in knowing that everyone who knew him, even peripherally, believes he went too soon and all of us will miss him.
Thanks, Scott, for being a pleasant and intelligent presence on the internet and making the occasionally fractious world of Who fandom nicer to be in.
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Like most of us, I don't always stop to consider that their presence might be temporary.
Friends from the internet, on the other hand, I have always regarded as essentially temporary. Websites change, people are affected by events in real life and stop posting, or come back after years and years...all kinds of things happen.
The other night, I found out that a poster from various Doctor Who forums had died. A bloke I knew as "Zoltar". And by "knew" I mean was aware of and occasionally chatted with and held a few basic opinions about.
It turns out Zoltar's first name was Scott.
Scott's death affected me way more than it should have, given that I barely knew the guy, and I was startled to realise that I saw it as basically unfair.
Scott was a friendly, intelligent, funny guy who had mastered the skill that I never did - he didn't let the internet turn him into a complete arse. He came across as, above all else, a nice guy. The sort of man you would be pleased to see no matter what else was going on. The sort of man who touched a lot of lives with nothing but warmth and light.
That's the impression I get from reading the tributes to him popping up over the internet. It's also the impression I had of him. I should have taken the time to get to know him better, but that's my problem.
My sympathies are with Scott's family and loved ones, who have lost someone dear to them. I hope there's some comfort in knowing that everyone who knew him, even peripherally, believes he went too soon and all of us will miss him.
Thanks, Scott, for being a pleasant and intelligent presence on the internet and making the occasionally fractious world of Who fandom nicer to be in.
