On-line "persona"

Yes.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Depends.

I dare say that I'm quite the wisenheimer both about the town and here on this new-fangled inter-web whatchamathing.

The way I see it... anyone who acts like a screw up around here is probably a screw up in person to. if your decent around here, your probably decent in person to. with me your pretty much getting it straight as I don't troll or anything of that sort as that's what teenagers and the like do. only those with lower standards screw with others just for the sake of riling them them up. like for example... some people don't even believe what they are typing but if they think it's going to upset the other person they will say whatever is needed to achieve that goal as these types of people are screw ups.

because if someone uses the anonimity of online just so they can act up, it shows you who they really are pretty much, especially if they are still doing that after a certain age. because it's easier to overlook if someone is goofing off at say 20-25 years old or so (naturally we still don't like it but it's easier to overlook since many around that age group still act like teenagers more often than not), but if they are still doing that at say 35 years old or so they have issues as you should be beyond that goofing off crap by that age.

with that said... I think one bonus to online is when it comes to politic/religion matters as one can be more open/honest online than many of us would be in real life so as to avoid conflict. plus, it's easier to be more calm online and you can think a bit more before answering etc (because I would imagine many of us would not be as good at giving a decent answer right on the spot in person without thinking things threw a bit) and not only that but it can be challenging to keep a more calm demeanor in person at times and I think if your talking about issues where things could get a little heated, as I think if the person your talking to perceives you as getting a little aggressive, they are that much more likely to become aggressive themselves which just ads fuel-to-the-fire (i.e. escalates the situation, which is not good for either person). like... I think many of us try remain totally calm, but it's hard to hold back the subtle emotions we project towards others on more sensitive issues and they can pick up on it and it might rile them up a bit etc. but I would imagine this is the case for most people though since some of us are better at interacting with others in general as some people I suspect could say almost the same things about a random political/religious topic without the other getting upset, or at least not as upset, vs if some random person said the same thing, things could get heated quicker.

Firstly, thanks for this thread, BATouttaheck . It's a nice idea and makes me really take a look at how I present myself online (which I have thought about idly from time to time, but have never really put down in words).

Do you feel that the "person" you present yourself to be on-line is pretty much the same "person" you are off line as well ?

Basically, yes. I think I'm a bit more articulate when posting (in real life, I'd probably be searching for the words I'm trying to say and likely stumble over my words a bit). The thing with 'real life' is that when talking to people, it'd probably seem a bit odd to just remain silent for a minute or more as you think what you want to say/how you want to say it. With posting, though, I can take all the time I wish to compose what I want to say/post and no one's the wiser. Having said that, even when I take my time composing my posts (especially the lengthy ones where I say quite a bit or post lots of pictures/GIFs), I still make mistakes/typos and have to edit my posts to fix them. I also have a habit of changing my mind quite a bit. I'll think to myself, "I could've worded that better." and then will edit my post accordingly. 

Are you "nicer" here than you are off-line"?

Somewhat. I tend to have a bit of a short temper on occasion in real life, whereas posting allows me to cool off/calm myself down before I post. Very rarely (if at all) have I posted something in the heat of the moment. I have vented my anger/frustrations to friends I have on here, but that's been as far as it goes. If I reacted the same way on here as I do in 'real life' to things that anger me...I probably would have landed myself in hot water by now. I think I'm as calm online as I wish I was in 'real life'. The only anger I release is when I'm typing up my posts and make numerous typos - the computer receives the brunt of my verbal abuse.

Are you more (or less) patient with the foibles of others here than you are off line ?

Yes, in a certain way I think I'm more 'patient' on here. Although I see things posted by people that anger me, I don't really respond because I avoid confrontations like the plague. In 'real life', I'd probably be more tempted to speak up and say something, but on here it seems like it takes very little for someone to start verbally attacking you, so I just keep my thoughts to myself to avoid that.

Do you use the anonymity of the boards to behave in ways that you would never dare to indulge yourself with off line ?

No. 

Is your online "self" a complete and total fabrication ?

No.

Does some of the "real you" show through ?

Most of the 'real me' shows through, I think. I still have a lot of self-doubt and tend to second-guess myself quite a bit (which is why I often rethink what I've written in posts and then edit them/change them - because I get paranoid that others might take something I've said - no matter how harmless - the wrong way. I'm like that in 'real life' too, apologising for things I probably don't need to be apologising for).

Do you view postings as being written by "real people" with feelings or just as words on a page ?

Yes, I always view everyone online as 'real people' (though in the cases of certain people who come across as truly terrible, I oftentimes find myself wondering how such a person can exist. Then again, I long ago accepted that there's a lot of terrible people in this world).


What?! You're not a distinguished-looking, cigar-smoking, bespectacled cat person in real life, Sulla?? 

I speak my mind, when I feel like it. I also tend to have my own opinions which don't often fall neatly within the clearly drawn battlelines in politics or any subject which tends to piss off both sides of every argument. And yep, I'm the same in real life.

I'm mostly the same, I think. Although, certainly more extroverted on here. If a reply occurs to me that I find funny, for example, I typically post it without much thought... Whereas in real life I would probably overthink whether or not it actually is funny, and whether or not anyone else would find it to be funny as well, and then usually just not say it at all.
So the lack of in-person social context makes me a lot less "filtered". Though I still do have regard for other people's feelings/opinions on here, and certainly don't use this site to be a jerk (not usually anyways!). I just generally have a lot less self awareness, you might say. Which in a way is one the main appeals of this place. I can be a buffoon sometimes without worrying about who might think I'm a buffoon.

The Ackbar persona is a secret identity! Nobody I know knows about it- though when I first joined IMDb my then-girlfriend saw me typing as Ack and asked what the &@&@ I was doing. Haha.

I think the closest to Ack I get in real life is when I'm half-drunk.   I'm not a big drinker at all, but one or two beers will allow me to act like this goofy fish man in real life. (Though awkward silence, not laughter, is typically the response!   )

Do you use the anonymity of the boards to behave in ways that you would never dare to indulge yourself with off line ?

Is your online "self" a complete and total fabrication ?