Editor's note: Ron Rovtar and I first discussed the possibility of him providing the first paragraph or two of his articles from The Stock Asylum to be posted here at RMstockphoto.com back in December of 2006. Prior to that, Ron and I had carried on several discussions via email over a period of several months. Ron was one of the earliest contributors to this site and has stuck with us longer than any other contributor.

Even though Ron and I have not yet been able to meet and talk in person, I certainly consider Ron to be a friend and I wish him much success in his new endeavors. He will be missed.

More than a year ago my then 16-year-old son struck up an electronic "conversation" with a young lady in Pennsylvania

That conversation blossomed into a series of exchanges and the beginnings of a relationship involving various electronic services like instant messaging, e-mail and wireless phones.

Eventually, my son (and his parents) met this lovely and bright young person when she accompanied her father on a family trip to Colorado.

Since that meeting, she has visited our home for two extended periods and my son has flown to Pennsylvania on two other occasions.

As I prepared to put The Stock Asylum to bed for the last time this week, I spent a fair amount of time thinking about the impact new forms of electronic media have on human relationships.

Electronic devices like the telephone have for years let us communicate over long distances. But such devices rarely led to new friendships.

E-mail, instant messaging, websites, blogs, text messaging and various other forms of social media have added a new and important wrinkle to electronic communications. It now is very possible to make a new friend and build a significant relationship without standing in the same room as the other person. Ask my son.

Continue reading Fare Thee Well . . .at the Stock Asylum