I often say, “The internet is great when it’s not being evil.” Opposite of cyber bullying, spam and porn is the cumulative knowledge of society on Wikipedia, social media helping propel the Arab Spring and Meetup.com for finding people with similar interests.

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and am a lifelong Seattle Seahawks fan. My career in the movie business has taken me South to live and work in Los Angeles. So, needless to say, it’s been a long time looking for someplace to watch a Seahawks game on Sunday afternoons.

Then I found a Seahawks group on Meetup.com. For those who don’t know, Meetup.com is not a singles site. It’s a site where you type in your interest and it will show you groups of people who have the same interests that have formed in your area.

Last year, I found a Seahawks Meetup group on my area. I went to the first meeting. There were three of us. We’d meet at a local bar and sat in front of  the one TV that was showing the Seattle game. Then watched as the audio from a more popular team was blaring over the speakers. But we struggled on and kept meeting.

Now because of the internet, our little group is growing. Even over the offseason, the group got bigger. This season there are some 38 fans in our Seahawks group. Each Sunday, at least half the group shows up for the games. In fact, we have so many fans, the owner of the bar has given us an upstairs space and put the Seahawks game over the speakers.

And let me tell you it’s great. It’s great to feel the rush of a crowd. Touchdowns are celebrated with high-fives, hoots and hollers. Every new member to the group says the same thing, “I didn’t know there were other Seahawks fans, until I found Meetup.com” Thank you good internet.

I also belong to a movie group, poker group, and a boardgame group. Where before I felt isolated and thought I was the only Seahawks fan in Southern California, now I know there are many. The group could be huge, if only the other fans got off of porn and took the time to look on the internet and find their like minded tribe.