Wow! About one day ago, I got my first props! I was ecstatic! Temptasia gave me props for the Office videos I was contributing. And, then I realized something: recognition is what we really base our actions off of.

I first joined Fanpop because I wanted to watch some cool videos, and because I was bored. I didn't really plan on doing much on it, just join a few key spots (my favorite TV shows). As I delved further and further into what this website had to offer, I began wanting to be a part of it. I began seeing names everywhere (Chel, Temptasia, Benji) and I realized I wanted to be recognized.

I wanted to contribute things to Fanpop that would make people think and/or laugh, because those are my two favorite things to do. So, I started adding picks, I commented on all that I could, and adding people to my fan list. I looked on YouTube for videos, hoping other Fanpoppers would enjoy them as much as I do. I began working harder on getting the name ThinkPink20 out there for many people to see, to be recognized.

I felt the importance of being part of something that is bigger than me. But I wanted to stand out. I wanted to be appreciated for something, anything, so I felt like I belonged. It is important to feel appreciated by your peers and your elders; it gives you a sense of quality. Like you matter to the world and aren't just a waste of oxygen. And, that's how it is on the internet, you want to feel, not that you're just a waste of some gigabytes or whatever, but that what you did matters to someone other than you.

I wrote my first soapbox article from what I felt, not what people want to hear. It was about how JD and Elliot (the "Ross and Rachel" of Scrubs) shouldn't end up together in the end of the show. It was probably the first thing I did for myself to do, for ME to be proud of, to get MY opion heard. I didn't care if people liked it. Some didn't. Some accused me of being negative. Others agreed with me, but chose to keep on hoping. When snoznoodle gave me props (my second props) for telling it like it is, I was floored.

So, my realizations while on Fanpop:
Do what you love, not what others will love, because chances are, there is someone out there who is thinking exactly like you are.

Recognition is what drives us to do things we don't normally do, and that's a good thing.

In order to recieve, you have to give. So, if you want props or anything, don't expect it to come to you. You need to work hard and contribute to society if you want to get anything out of it.

So, thank you to Temptasia and snoznoodle for your recognition and appreciation. It is what is driving me to contribute further to this vast entanglement of people, to something bigger than just me.

A fan,
ThinkPink20