Once Upon the Internet: A Wild and Crazy Tale of Online-Turned-Real-Life Friendship

By: Marla Taviano

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Length: 3 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

The internet gets a bad rap—with good reason. But as the weird and witty Marla Taviano will tell you—there’s a warm and fuzzy side to the web as well. Marla dipped her toes in the pool of social networking six years ago at the gentle insistence of her web guru husband. And—wait for the cliché—it changed her life. Since that first blog post in late 2005, she’s connected with oodles of people in real, personal ways, including meeting a couple hundred of her new pals face-to-face. In the summer of 2008, Marla and her family spontaneously embarked on a year-long quest to visit 52 Zoos in 52 Weeks (yes, they’re wackos). As they shared about their Zoo Journey via blog, Facebook, and Twitter, people were surprisingly eager to be a part of their Big Fun. When all was said and done, the Taviano Five had stayed with 31 different families, 17 of whom they'd never met (except online). Countless others met them at zoos along the way. Today some of their dearest friends are ones they first met on the internet. Marla is just another wife/mama/friend/giraffe lover straddling the proverbial fence between the virtual and real-life realms, trying to strike that elusive balance between the two. While her methods might seem a bit unconventional (read: ridiculous), there’s a little something in her story for everyone. Low on lofty platitudes, high on zany plot, this totally-true memoir will keep you chuckling, nodding your head, and occasionally rolling your eyes, page after digital page.