The best way to feel like you belong in any group is to step out of your comfort-zone and participate - in time you will either belong, or you'll realize you don't *want* to belong.

I personally have never bothered to join up with a local group, although I am familiar with who the 'major players' are. I just share the 'verse with my own friends, and come online for more indepth and obsessive discussion. I suppose I would join up if the people I have connected with online lived locally, but they don't, so I haven't.

I was just looking at your profile and you didn't post once in the year 2005?
I mean, that is when most of the people around here joined up! So naturally they don't know you...so how can they love you? LOL
Did you come and read the board at all during 2005? I assume you mean you avoided the board, but I hope you don't mean you avoided seeing 'Serenity', or reading the comic, or seeing the amazing Tam video sessions, or reading Joss' wonderful script (called the Visual Companion).
I hope you'll hang around more now.

Ray,

You are a fellow Browncoat. Always and forever. And been here from the beginning? Wow! Thank you for hanging in there for us and helping get us the BDM! We fairly new folks have a lot to appreciate you for!

I hope that you will feel at home on this board. I know I do and love it here so much. I just jump in and talk and greet and have a good time, taking the good with the bad and being just so grateful that I've found people who love the same thing that I love.

I haven't met any Browncoats off of the boards either, although I know they exist. Wish there were enough of us here to have a shindig. *sighs*

We're all in this together... and I for one am proud to have you here too!

You are definatly needed. There's lots of love for you here. I know what you mean about the boards but you just have to butt in anyway. No one here will mind.

As for the real world. I really know what you mean. I haven't met any Browncoats in real life. I know that the're around, I keep finding clues but I can't seem to find them. I have converted a few people but that's not the same.

i was lucky enough to stumble on one or two people that made me feel all manner of welcome when I was new to this site so I didn't get the chance to get discouraged and run away. I have done that on other sites. Keep looking and you'll find a couple of them too.

So sorry Darling. I'd take you in litte a wet puppy. I've converted a few people but eveyone new I've met has never heard of the 'verse. Well there was one person but when I said my sparkly shoes were Nara shoes he didn't understand. You are part of us darling you are needed. We are a force of change to entertainment. Keep your eyes on the prize and don't forget when you can't crawl well you know the rest.