I love online forums, and I owe it all to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This all started many years ago when I hooked into BtVS. Now, TV is not normally my preferred form on entertainment, I dont follow the antics of stars and I dont care what they do in their personal lives. But this show got to me: the metaphors for solving life's problems portrayed in a mythical world set in the bland, sunshiny world of a California high school. Then I discovered the wide world of Web-based boards, forums and blogs, where I indulged my fascination lurk and sometimes posted with other hooked fans.

So, since I had no friends who even came close to appreciating my fanatic er interest in this show, I thrived on the forums. At the time Buff had dozens, but three were my favorites. And over the years, I developed several online friends. We could e-mail nightly about nuances (perceived or imagined) of the show and the characters.

This led to me discovering other forumsequine health care, book groups, music groups, even a forum for astronomy buffs. Of course, in the inevitability of TV-land, Buffy was canceled and its forums went away. But I still enjoy being a poster and lurker.

Imagine my delight when ISS announced it was going to start a forum for the industry called "Self-Storage Talk." I couldnt wait for launch day. I really enjoy regularly hopping into the board, reading the latest comments, seeing what interests people and occasionally putting in my two cents worth.

Have you visited the rooms yet in our forum? If not, I suggest you give it a try at www.selfstoragetalk.com. Got a burning question? Post it, someone may have the answer. Looking for some hints to help your business, ask away. Got a grip? You can have your voice (within reason) and finally, you can make friends with people you may not normally meet in the hectic business we call life.

See you on the boards!