Online communities are very popular. You can most likely find one for whatever topic your heart desires. Unfortunately, just like in real life groups, you might not always fit in, but you just need to find your niche. Guaranteed there is a place out there for you. If you found your way here, chances are you are trying to conceive, pregnant or already a proud parent so go ahead and check out our forums. In this age of virtual communication, it’s a wonder to me how some people still don’t get the whole idea. There are so many benefits to joining an online community.

1. You can be as involved or not as you like. While everyone loves to hear opinions from as many people as possible, it is perfectly OK for someone to be a total lurker. If you are the peeping-tom type or are just looking for information and don’t feel the need to share any, go ahead and just read. Who is going to stop you? It’s pretty much like being a fly on the wall.

2. Everyone loves to tell a story. This is the perfect outlet to get your opinion heard.

3. The group mind knows things that one mind can’t. There’s no better example of this than in an online community, where a post will bring tens, sometimes hundreds, of different opinions and facts together in one place. That sort of group aggregate information assembly is very difficult if not impossible for one person, but it’s totally commonplace for the message board world.

4. If you have a random thought at 4 a.m, you can sign on and post your question. When you wake up later that morning chances are you will have gotten at least one reply. Who knows, someone else is probably up and online at that time too. Maybe you won’t have to wait. Now, if you don’t have an online community, who are you supposed to ask at 4 a.m?

5. You can ask questions that might otherwise seem random or trivial and there is no need to “ease into” the question. Just ask.

6. The support you can get online from people you have never actually met is just unbelievable. Maybe because it seems you communicate with them more often, sometimes about more personal things or just the fact that you have enough in common to have joined the same message board. I’m not sure exactly *what* it is, but there is a definite kinship.

7. People are welcoming. At least at the Baby Talkers forums, they are. Everyone loves a newbie. It means we get to hear more opinions and more stories. After all, what works for one, won’t necessarily work for another, so the more people you have sharing their opinions, the more options you have to test out. You can’t get that by reading a book.

8. You have the opportunity to meet people from all over the world with different lifestyles and experiences. That is hard to find in “real life”.

There are many reasons why being a part of an online community is beneficial, but these are some of the top reasons for me. Everyone has their own. Feel free to share yours. After all, this whole community thing is all about sharing our opinions with each other, right?!