A Sense of Online Community
By: Amy Greber Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-05-04 16:33:00-04:00
A “Welcome to the Land of Oz” sign adorns the door of Dorothy Santella's office in her Long Island, NY home. She spends her mornings here in front of the computer she bought 14 years ago. With a few clicks, her mouse, like a pair of ruby slippers, guides her to AARP.org's online community where she is known affectionately as “ToTo38.”
Dorothy, nicknamed Doris, has been a vibrant member of AARP.org's online community for more than a decade. “It's just fun,” says the spunky Brooklyn native, almost 70. “It gives people over the age of 50 reason to get up in the morning.”
Community Ties
Doris and about 100,000 other members of AARP.org's online community are proving that social networking sites aren't just “kids play.” Many of them log on daily to discuss everything from recipes to computers, presidential candidates to retiree health benefits, parenting advice to carpools to AARP's national event.
“We've even had four marriages within the community,” says Sandy Moreland, client services manager in AARP's Web Strategy and Operations.
Doris discovered AARP.org soon after her writing job at the local Times-Beacon newspaper ended in 1995. She didn't think she would have much use for her computer any longer until a promotion in Modern Maturity caught her eye. She recalls giddily, “Once I got on…there were people out there that thought I was funny, thought I was nice, that thought I was smart.” She attributes her popularity to her fun-loving ToTo38 persona, the more mischievous “male side” of her personality.
Channeling her passion for writing onto the Web, Doris teamed up with Teri Frontin at AARP to create the Fluff n' Stuff poetry e-newsletter in 1997; their collaborative efforts over the past 10 years have made them as close as family. “AARP opened doors for me that otherwise would have remained closed,” says Doris, reflecting on her editorial tenure.
An Awakening
The mother of four and grandmother of eight describes turning 50 as an awakening, a time to focus on her life's goals after having spent years caring for others. “I was a stay-at-home mom and a stay-at-home wife…I got married at 17. All those years I stayed at home, took care of my kids, my in-laws, my parents, anybody else's kids that were around.” Her writing sustained her when she was struggling to care for her in-laws with Alzheimer's, and she has introduced its therapeutic qualities to other caregivers online.
Doris' online community ties have also inspired her to obtain her driver's license at age 60 and travel more with her husband, Phil. They have met up with her AARP social network at vacation destinations like Myrtle Beach, SC, and have hosted a pasta dinner at their home. “Imagine all those people in [our] little living room,” she says, “And we're dancing.”
When she suffered a sudden eye stroke in January and had to step down as e-newsletter editor, Doris received cards, gifts and flowers from online community friends across the country. “I couldn't begin to tell you how wonderful people have been through this,” she says wistfully. “We all look out for each other.” Sandy and Teri honored Doris with a gift from AARP and a tribute in the e-newsletter for her “years of dedication.”
Despite her health limitations, this intrepid AARP member shows few signs of slowing down. “I had one girl say to me one time, ‘Doris, when are you going to grow up?’ And I said, “I don't know. If it means getting old, I don't know if I want to.’” She and Phil have already mapped out their road trip to this year's member event in Boston. She'll be hard to miss in her “Don't Mess with Toto” t-shirt.
AARP Resources
Whether you've been an active online participant or have preferred to watch from the sidelines, please take a moment to tell us what AARP's online community has meant to you.
Share rally info with fellow motocycle enthusiasts or exchange recipes in the Fun and Games boards. Get computer questions answered in the Learning and Technology boards. Connect and network with others seeking a career change in the Money and Work boards. There's something for everyone on AARP's Message Boards, including Foro de AARP en español.
From the weekly Webletter to the monthly Member Benefits Alert, you can subscribe to AARP's free newsletters to help you stay informed about Health and Wellness issues or be entertained with Humor and Hobbies. There are also the Boletín de AARP and AARP Segunda Juventud newsletters available in Spanish.
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