OT Poll How much are you like your forum persona?

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

Well, I have no idea of how to describe my personality (online and offline), so I guess that says something about me.

I feel I can express myself more freely online, not limited by unspoken conventions or expectations (not that I ignore the rules, mind you) that I have to deal with in RL. There, I often find it's a struggle to express myself properly, and simply to be. Sometimes I feel like who I am offline is not necessarily who I want to be, but more the person people expect me to be.

Online, I feel I can be myself more than I can be in real life. I prefer the personage of "Strategia" more than who I really am (but don't go around thinking I'm some kind of freaked-up sociophobe), simply because I can be who I really want to be.

I prefer the forums to talking to someone face to face. Not that I don't like a good conversation, but I just like the idea of being able to express myself without it having consequences for me in real life.

I haven't voted. If I were to cast a vote, the most likely approximation would be the top option, but "Online I am who I really am, offline I'm not" would be more accurate.

[Wolfman77]

I believe my "online personality" is part of me and so I am compleatly me online (makes a nice circle huh ). I may type different, but that's mostly because I'm a horrible typer. Other than that, if you put me in a room with all of you I would be peretty much the same as I am here.

[Combat Wombat]

I'd like to thing that I act the same way online as I do in RL.

[Renegade 13]

I guess that since I created the poll, I should also join the rest of you and post what I think!

The person I am online is essentially the same person I am if you were to talk to me in real life. However, there are a few differences. In real life I'm a little bit antisocial. Actually, I should rephrase that; I don't do well in large groups of people, especially people who I don't know. I tend to retreat into myself a little more than most people seem to.

Online I can express myself better than I do in real life, since I have time to actually think about and revise what I'm writing, whereas in real life you rarely have that opportunity! In real life around my close friends and family I can be quite outgoing and talk a lot, somewhat like I can tend to do online once in a while.

Next I'll quote Starhawk, since what he said fits me rather well as well, and I'm too lazy to put it in my own words.

I am NO good with women (they think I'm charming and sweet and blah blah blah but they tend to think of my like a brother or I don't pick up on their signals till it's too late and then I kick myself lol) so that ackward point of my personality chimes through on these forums too. Kicker there is I'm a very empathetic person by my nature so I fit the "sensative tough guy" quality quite well. But I'm not enough of an *** for teenage girls aparently lol all the ones I know tend to date "Bad boys"

I think online it can be a lot easier for your "real" personality to shine through, the person you might be if all social pressures were removed, and there was no pressure to conform to a certain mold. It's easier to say something that shows who you truely are when there aren't a load of people around to look at you funny when you do!

As some have seen in the few debates we get going around here once in a while (especially religion, politics, etc.) I have some fairly strong opinions when it comes to those. I also have no trouble articulating my point of view either, even if it flys in the face of what most people seem to think. For example, I'm anti-gun control and anti a whole bunch of things that are to me, morally "wrong". I won't list them, because that'll likely start a long and drawn out debate that we probably don't need at this time!

One final aspect of my personality; as you may have noticed from how disjointed the above paragraphs are from each other, I jump around a fair bit when I'm talking. Of course, this can cause a wee bit of confusion when talking to people when I'm talking about one thing then jump straight to another topic that people don't even think is related to the original subject

Whew, there's more I could type but you're probably all bored to tears already, so I'll stop here. Not to mention the fact that my fingers are getting tired.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

kerensky said:
If Narf is really like himself on the outside world.....

Not at all. 'Narf' is a comic persona I use for stress releif and cartoon humour.

Off-line, I tend towards monosylabism, stay in-doors for long periods of time, go for hours without saying a single thing, and have a dry wit quite different from cartoon antics. I tend to drift around rooms at social functions, generally staying close to the buffet, and am rather shy and introverted.

I can still set whole rooms laughing, however. Just not the same way. (The right remark at the right time, said with a straight face and just the right expression...)

[Paladin_SE5]

Hehehe, I also wanted to know, and somehow I'm not surprised at all Narf, it feels just like you

As for me, well it's just me.
I like respectfull discussions and exchanges of ideas, but I'm also very carefull of my ironic side since I know first-hand it can degenerate very easily to misunderstandings in an online setting (thus, I use smileys a lot )
I can be very shy and delayed posting in this forum for years, yet when the dam breaks loose I never stop talking
(I single-handedly have 23.5% of the SE5 Beta testers forum, and at some point I peaked at 30% )

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Hey, welcome to the forum.

[Paladin_SE5]

Thanks

I do feel like I already know ye all, but I guess it's my fault I've been mostly a simple passerby until then

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Hey, I lurked for a long while before I posted. Not as long as you, but still...It's a good way of knowing what you're getting into.