Way back in a former life, my very first job was in Church Street Parramatta. I worked in an office within ten metres of heavy haulage trucks that would trundle along the road in that pre-motorway era. The noise would be deafening, and my desk would vibrate as they thundered past.

My friends Geoff and Rachel met online. They were once anonymous people with names which existed in blogosphere only. Then one brave person within the...