It was quite ironic, as this week I was given my first exam question on my degree course, and the subject was how the Internet can develop and alter the meanings attached to the word "community". This subject has already cropped up in the 'Abbey Arms' chat room on many occasions. U's Net and the 'Moosenet' e-mailing list served to provide me with many up to date examples. When I gained Internet access six months ago, I never once envisaged the thriving in-depth communities that would reside within.

The Internet is often described as a faceless and unaccountable mask which people wear, yet 'Moosenet' and 'U's Net' dismisses this notion with uncanny ease. People have met each other 'face to face' on the terraces after discussing and debating issues over the Internet, and learnt who their neighbours on the terrace are. They have developed and expanded the number of United fans they know and consider their friends. People arrange lifts, compare match reports and in April the members of the 'Moosenet' mailing list are sponsoring the Cardiff City game at the Abbey Stadium, with people flying over from all corners of the globe to join in the official meet. If there is a clearer example of an Internet formed community, then I would sure like to see it!

The Internet is often described as a library of information, and you can certainly find information on nearly anything you want. The main problem with the Net' at present though is the fact there is so much information on there it is simply impossible to produce an index cataloguing it. Unless you know exactly what you want to find you are likely to be frustrated.

This week there has been a very positive attitude on many of the Nationwide League message boards, with fans from most clubs congratulating Fulham and Swansea for knocking Premiership teams out of the FA Cup. A similar thing happened earlier in the season when it was Cambridge United who were receiving messages of congratulations from various league clubs after defeating Sheffield Wednesday in the Worthington Cup. These sorts of threads are very pleasant to follow.

Andrea has gone into great detail explaining what her excellent site offers, but she has failed to mention the stream of accolades her site and therefore her hard work receive. Tucked away in the corner of her site is a list as long as your arm of all the various awards 'U's Net' has won, and barely a day goes past without comments being left in the guest-book from people all over the world thanking her for producing such a well maintained and thorough website. It is perhaps appreciated more by long-distance United fans, without access to the Cambridge Evening News or Clubcall who are able to catch up on the latest events, wherever they are in the world. This just shows the extent to which the Internet has eroded both time and space within the realms of communication. It is the future, where interaction and interpolation will be rampant.

I have been writing regular match reports for 'U's Net' this season, and would like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the many fans who e-mail me each week, thanking me for producing them. I enjoy writing the reports, but the thing I find most enjoyable is the fact people seem to like reading them, and are able from any position on the globe to use them as another tool to form a more intimate relationship with Cambridge United and share in the emotions and excitement of match day.

Local MP Anne Campbell was the first Member Of Parliament to have her own website, and following the debates surrounding the redevelopment of the Abbey this week, has been receiving e-mails from many Cambridge United fans asking her for her views and opinions on the subject. As yet no replies have been received, but it is a sign of the times that you are able to ask a Member of Parliament questions with such ease, and at such unerring speed. Should you wish to ask Anne any questions regarding the U's, her e-mail address is: anne.campbell.mp@solo.pipex.com.

I am sure that there will be many new fans who gain Internet access over the next few months. If you are one of them, make sure www.cambridgeunited.com is one of your first points of call, so you can take part in the wonderful and exciting world that is the Internet, and join the many United fans who are already members of the thriving Cambridge United community.