I suppose joining a group--of one kind or another-is really a non-event for most people these days. Particularly on internet sites with a social sharing component, the subtle nudge to "join our community" so long ago ceased to be subtle that I admit to becoming a member of the "community" on more than one site just so I could get more quickly what I came to get originally. My best friend tells me his "favorite porn site" has a social network where sex is rarely discussed.

"flickr" always irritated me as a site name. Its origins obvious, the variant spelling and lack of capitalization cutesy but it was the lack of clarity as to its identity: noun, verb or adjective made me more than slightly suspect of its creator's ability to be clear in thought and pure in motive.

I believed I had successfully avoided flickr's snares and was a bit saddened that one of my fellow non-joiners, Queen Elizabeth II had signed up without even letting me know.

With royalty's resistance gone what chance did I have? The rude surprise came when I finally Signed Up. It was then I found out that I had been a member of this particular community for nearly 2 years! A key incorrectly pressed on my first Android phone linked a new flickr account with my existing Yahoo! account. A delightful Droid gift from Google, no less.

I must have been ex-officio or whatever title is conferred on a member absent from day one. I couldn't be called a deserter, I wasn't AWOL. Perhaps my formal first appearance or "arrival", that is, the birthing of my Buddy Icon, was an event already foreseen by the Friendly Friends of Flickr, the elders of this institution where my cinematic children will hopefully thrive.

I can say this right off, if the tour the Queen took was as filled with examples of extraordinary talent as I saw on my tour earlier, then I have no doubt that She and I both exhibited the best of judgment and taste in choosing this community to join.