There exists a special tool that can comfort people, share both good news and bad, and connect kindred spirits in a way that simply was not possible a few short years ago.

While giving comfort has always been around, the ability to comfort strangers is still new.

Let’s call it human social media.

When my daughter was born 16 years ago, I was young, exhausted, and often alone.

Like my daughter, the Internet was also still in its infancy.

Although there were forums or chat boards for mothers (remember them anyone?) they were new, people were cautious, and it was easy to be skittish about interacting with a stranger online. And yes, there were idiots out there even then. (more…)