Female Voices of Metal

While heavy metal may seem at first glance a predominantly male genre, there are a significant number of women who do thrive as metal vocalists and the mission of this group is to introduce and showcase as many of them as possible. The information section lists a large number of female fronted metal groups by subgenre. There are 72 links to videos and over 600 images in the gallery. Threads on the discussion board include 'Epica', 'Do you know any Russians music bands??', 'Domina Noctis', 'Girls with harsh vocals', 'How did you first get hooked?', 'Metal Female Voices Festival 2007' and more.

What's great about this group: Find out more about women active in heavy metal music.

Update (24 October 2023) 

This group is still active but has opted to become a private group. It has 9,200 members. Go here to request access. 

Joshua A. Norton for Emperor

For those not familiar with the story, Joshua Abraham Norton, failed 19th century businessman and resident of San Francisco became legend by declaring himself emperor of the United States of America in 1859 and dissolved Congress. According to some reports, as many as 30,000 people paid their respects on the day of his burial. There aren't that many threads on the discussion board, but 'Reasons to admire Emperor Norton', 'Beer and Blasphemy' and 'Emperor Norton was frozen!' count among the topics included. The wall posts feature more, including a link 'his' blog. There are photos and cartoons of the esteemed Emperor in the gallery as well as an image of his tombstone.Several other groups exist to honor his memory, but this is the largest and most active.

What's great about this group: Celebrate the life and memory of a popular historical eccentric.

Update (24 October 2023)

This Facebook Group no longer exists. There is a Facebook Account with the name Joshua A Norton and a Facebook Page entitled The Emperor Norton Trust, which is linked to a website with the same name. The page has 1,800 followers and can be found here. 

Dance World Connect

If dancing is your passion, you will love the opportunities this group offers. Threads on the discussion board include 'Ballet schools', 'How old is too old?', 'Ways to Trick Children into Learning Ballet Technique', 'college dance programs', 'Cheating for beautiful feet??' and many more. In the gallery you will find images of dancers rehearsing, dancers performing, photo-shoots involving dancers and even promotional material. On the wall you will find over 100 links to other internet resources, notices of festivals and workshops and even a request for participation in a survey.

What's great about this group: it's a great networking forum for dancers.

Update (24 October 2023)

This Facebook Group still functions as a networking platform for all things dance. Current posts include content such as requests for dance partners, calls for dancers for events, productions, festivals, etc, postings for dance groups looking for new members and even appeals for advice on technical issues related to dance. It seems to have survived intact and remains and awesome group. There are 11,300 members. Go here to visit or join. 

Wild Moments

Anyone who's visited this blog before, must know that I love looking at beautiful photographs. Here is yet another group that showcases what nature has to offer in wild places and wild life. See images of beautiful sunsets, unusual light effects, birds, flowers, insects... There are also links to the individual websites of various contributing photographers.

What's great about this group: witness the beauty of nature.

Update (28 October 2023)

There is a Facebook account for Wild Moments photography, a Facebook page called Wild Moments (which seems unrelated to the FB account, because they are on different continents), as well as a Facebook group called Wild & Free Moments. 

Route 66

Immortalized in a song, Route 66 is world famous as one of the original highways of the USA. If you are planning a trip across its 2,451 miles of tarmac, or just want to share a little of the experience from the comfort of your own home, visit the magic of this group. Threads on the discussion board include 'Favorite Places on the Mother Road…Historic U.S. Route 66', 'Bike rental', 'What to take with you…', 'Where are the best places to stop on Route 66???', and 'Places to Avoid (Single Female Traveling Alone)'. There are over 600 images in the gallery, including photos of the Cadillac Ranch, Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas, The Round Barn in Arcadia, Oklahoma and the Route 66 Museum. Visit the wall, if you are looking for a travelling partner, some advice or just want to share your own experiences.

What's great about this group: Share the magic of Route 66.

Update (28 October 2023)

This Facebook group still exists. It has 6.3k members, but is now private. Go here to request access.

The Labyrinth Society on Facebook

Labyrinths are mysterious and irresistible. Some claim they have hidden meanings and purposes, but they can be admired just for their intricate beauty. The group has less than 400 members. There are two threads on the discussion board, 'masked labyrinth walk' and 'World Labyrinth Day results'. The gallery features 38 labyrinth related images (when i visited). The wall is where you will find the most activity, with posts about labyrinth related activities and links to resources. There is even a post from someone who solicited help to construct a labyrinth in Farmville, with an accompanying image. There are various links to other labyrinth related resources.

What's great about this group: it embodies what's great about the internet in general - creating a common area for people who share a minority interest.

Update (28 October 2023)

There is a Labyrinth Society Facebook page (which can be found here), as well as The Labyrinth Society Global Group, a Facebook group with 18,000 members. Go here to visit or join the latter. 

The Man, The Legend, FEATHER HAT

I love groups that take to places and people I might never have known, in this case, Windsor, Ontario to meet the famous Feather Man. There are three topics on thediscussion board, 'His story was in a local magazine a few years back..', 'Rons left hand' and ' Downtown McDonalds', while the gallery shows a couple of photos of Ron the Feather Man(some a little blurry) and even a mural that features his distintinctive image as centerpiece. The group wall is a wealth of additional information and anecdotes about sightings and encounters. There are a few posts from members claiming kinship to him. Other points of speculation are the identity of his girlfriend and the exact nature of their relationship and, of course, the meaning behind all those feathers in his hat. Two posts even suggest powers of teleportation. True, there are a few detractors, but, to quote one wall post, 'we all do things others think are strange, we all carry our own 'feathers'...'

What's great about this group: Well, Ron, really, he will intrigue you.

Update (28 October 2023)

Feather Hat Man, a.k.a Ron LaDouceur, passed away a little more than two months ago on 5 August 2023, at the age of 75. You can read his obituary here. Toy collectors may also be interested to know that he got his own action figure as tribute to his legend, before he passed.