The Deuce Club, 10.7
Hi, everyone! Let's dive right into this week's topic . . .
Last Sunday, October 2nd, marked my three-year anniversary as your TW “Social Director.” Wild how time flies. If you want to check out my very first Deuce Club post, click here. (I sounded so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed back then, didn’t I?)
It got me thinking about how many of you were around when my debut post went up; our community—like all communities—has shifted, evolved, transformed since then. A couple of weeks ago, a poster mentioned feeling a little out of place in the DCs, like she was infiltrating an exclusive social circle, which further underscored just how much our group has changed over the past three years. And it also raised a giant red flag—the Deuce Club is all about fostering a sense of togetherness, looking past player allegiances and understanding who we are as people, and I cringe at the notion that some view this space differently. So, I propose we go back to our roots and make this a “get to know each other” DC (I suppose that’s always the objective here, but we’re just being more overt about it this week :)).
Let's frame this around a natural starting point—when we first discovered tennis and/or when we first posted on TW. Here’s my history:
When I became a tennis fan: Check out the above link—no need to bore you with the details again!
When I first posted on TW: (Forgive me if you've already heard this story.) I took the TW plunge on March 8, 2008, seven months before the DC gig fell into my lap. Andy Roddick fans may remember that as the day he won the Dubai title, defeating Feliciano Lopez in the final. I'm pretty sure I said something about Feli’s volleys—pretty pedestrian for an inaugural comment, alas.
Considering I'd been lurking for several months before that, knowing that my "voice" was actually being heard felt strange, even a little unnatural. But I was excited to no longer be on the periphery. I was in. And everyone reinforced this sense of belongingness—at that time, it was almost protocol to extend an official welcome to new posters (why don’t we do that anymore?)—which assured me that I now had a place in the community. Being received with open arms made the process worthwhile.
But oh, how I struggled mightily in the beginning to get the hang of writing my own comments whilst reading everyone else’s; back then, if you refreshed the page in the middle of composing a comment, all that you’d written would vanish into the Typepad abyss and you’d have to start from square one, which meant a lot of fumbling and wasted time. How does everyone do it? I thought.
What else do I remember . . . being able to link to posters' e-mail addresses just by clicking on their monikers . . . the list of posters I created, with short descriptions for each so I'd remember who was who (I'm a dork) . . . and oh yes, a fair amount of impression management. How do I perceive myself and how do I want to be perceived by others? Oddly enough, though I wrestled with these questions, I also expressed myself much more freely than I do now, at least regarding anything controversial or contentious. (Maybe I've internalized too much of the DC's Kumbaya ethos over the years?!)
I could go on, but I think it’s time we heard from everyone else! Consider the following questions:
If this doesn’t fulfill your off-topic needs, you can discuss baseball (ugh, still mourning the Yankees’ loss), Steve Jobs, or whatever’s piquing your interest, or forget OT altogether and just continue the tennis chatter. (And apologies for posting sporadically of late. It's just been so quiet around here on Fridays that I figured you guys weren't clamoring for this space. I'll try not to make it a habit!)
Have a good weekend, everyone!