Behind the screen

Some people are most certainly just rude on the internet because they figure that there won't be repercussions. It's one of the worst things about the internet.

I try to be myself as much as possible. The biggest difference, I think, is that here I get to re-read what I'm trying to say before I say it. I get to edit myself, essentially. Face to face what comes out comes out and I don't have a chance to change it. There are a lot more um's and so's in person. LOL And a lot more failed movie/tv/music references. :laugh:

I was just going to say about the same thing as M just did there ...

To date, I've spent some considerable time with Adhara, Proteus, V-Tog, Loudzoo, Edan and a couple of times with Akkarin.

They can tell you better if I am conform to myself on/off-line, although I'm not sure I exhibit that much consistency in either ...

:blush:

Here I think I'm 'more' myself, because with the advantage of time I can 'be' and process 'my' thoughts and feelings more fully. Most other places I'm myself too, but spend less time so probably appear closer to how I act in person, which is usually never up to my own standards... but I need to relax more.

Then though some unrelated forums are actively argumentative, where it can be taken up to people a little bit because everyone is knowingly doing the same thing. I still though try to avoid mixing criticism with being condescending... because if your making a winning point over someone (criticism), IMO you shouldn't need to also try to win ego points by trying to crush their spirit (being condescending) in that moment of their weakness - I call that bullying. It might be small, but online a small cut done a thousand times is no longer small.

So perhaps when online people are more readily able to feed their ego of those other usernames out there because they don't see the sadness they might be creating by going too far and killing with a thousand cuts.

PS: I only really noticed this yesterday playing an online game, listening to 'adults' act like brats over voice comms amongst themselves, haha.... voice is a bit richer then text so it might have been aggravated and more obvious.

There's not that much difference with me, I'm maybe less outspoken in person. In a way, online is both a help and a hindrance for me; message forums at least allow me more time to think my words through, and I probably sound a bit more pretentious than in person, but real-time chat leaves me feeling "on the clock" so to speak, and so often the wrong things come out way too easily, but then in-person conversations can feel that way too. In person, someone I'm talking to can notice if I'm starting to feel ill and need to rest, the unpredictability of my energy levels is something that's very difficult to convey online though, especially in real-time chat. That's why I've spent a lot less time in chat as opposed to the forums.

i'm pretty much identical online and off....maybe a bit easier to understand as my body language and vocal tone are visible along with my words....

im moody i guess

if im on an ok mood i can be really friendly, i smile and tell a lot of jokes

when i dont feel that great i just withdraw and am quiet

im pretty philosophical both online and off, but i find offline conversation much easier; the feedback is direct and instant and i get a lot of what people are saying, and especially what they are feeling, from their body language and posture and vocal tones, ect - the non verbal cues - and a lot of what i say is hard to get without seeing/hearing these as well

i told my mother once that i had a report where i had to describe three things about myself and i didnt knwo what i should say and she told me that i have always been one to "stick up for the underdog" and that i am "loyal to a fault"

she had a third descriptor but i explained they have to be GOOD things lol and ill just keep that one to myself thank you very much

I am mostly as you see me. I think I'm a little more collected and eloquent online but otherwise I'd have to say that that's about the only difference.

I think on this subject and I would like to be close to my brothers and sisters here in the temple, give them a hug and say they were important in my journey, a longer and others for more. I think this is a request for self-assessment, met fabulous people here, we can still wonder if we are doing our best. When you speak, that our language is love, when to use words that are the wisdom and when you feel that the feeling is of brotherhood