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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2009 23:02:54 GMT
Let's say we were assigned to go to a public place,a cafe perhaps. Each given a specific time to arrive. Would we know who each other were based on what we "know" about one another online? Granted,some of you have met,seen photos of one another,posted photos online. But,that aside (and the random 'dynamo' tattoo some may be sporting), is there something you think after chatting briefly at the bar,that would distinguish you as your online persona? Do you pretty much talk or act the same in public as you do online or even different on other forums? I find this fascinating somehow, as I have my own fixed ideas about some of you,some I feel I would know immediately,others I would probably be totally shocked by. I think I would probably be easy to "recognize" even though I've never posted a photo of myself or given a physical description of myself.My demeanor online is just how I am in 3D. Whatever that means.
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Post by imec on Sept 4, 2009 1:26:26 GMT
Interesting question. I don't "consciously" act differently online, but I'd love to know if I do or not. What's also interesting to me is the rate at which our behavior/demeanor changes as we become more comfortable with the group - is it faster or slower than "real life". I can be particularly irreverent with people I am very comfortable with - but if I don't know them well tend to be much more subdued and respectful (an essential skill in my work).
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Post by lola on Sept 4, 2009 3:08:10 GMT
I'm pretty reserved until I'm comfortable with people, and tend to clam up in a group of strangers. Let's say I knew what ten people would be at the bar... maybe. We'd have to do one of those ice breaking games or wear a nametag containing a hint. Then I'd be a champ. Maybe.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 4, 2009 3:20:15 GMT
I think my answer would have to be pretty close to what Imec said.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 4:50:21 GMT
I am a lout. Everybody knows that.
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Post by bazfaz on Sept 4, 2009 6:57:37 GMT
One person you would never (and I mean never) recognise from his internet persona is Grecian.
People who meet me say I am pretty much as I come across here.
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Post by tillystar on Sept 4, 2009 8:14:35 GMT
You'll recognise me, I'll be the one downing pints, throwing food, encouraging drinking games and falling over by the end of the night.
I agree Baz is like Baz and Geeky is not like Geeky. He doesn't use half as many.....in real life.
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Post by bazfaz on Sept 4, 2009 8:38:14 GMT
And Tilly is like Tilly. And Spindrift is like Writeon.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 10:56:52 GMT
One person you would never (and I mean never) recognise from his internet persona is Grecian. People who meet me say I am pretty much as I come across here. Seeing as no one on this forum save a select few ,know who this Grecian person is ,I have no doubt you are correct in making this determination about someone else. But thank you for your thoughtfulness and insight. These virtues will surely make you a standout in any crowd.
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Post by bazfaz on Sept 4, 2009 11:22:33 GMT
Casi, did you really intend to come across as snide and sarcastic?
I imagine few people on this forum have no knowledge of TT or TTR where Grecian has achieved notoriety.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 12:09:42 GMT
Grecian-the-internet-person remains a sore spot with numerous people who crossed his path, no matter which website, and the healing process is sometimes a long one.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 13:49:22 GMT
I had very,very little exposure to the party of whom you speak. The very limited contact I had with him was actually rather pleasant. There are at least a half dozen regular posters who do not know this person though. My comment had more to do with the disregard for the OP. I did not ask about other people from other places in time. I asked specifically about us as individuals. Oh well,it really doesn't matter. People are going to post whatever suits them regardless of the OP. It does get tedious though.
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Post by bazfaz on Sept 4, 2009 14:18:15 GMT
Casimira, by now you have surely understood that threads develop a life of their own They do indeed develop. Your response to me subsitituted petulance for sarcasm.
A site like this is meant to be fun or it is nothing. A week or so back on TTR there was a discussion of Anyport. A number of people said they had looked at it and didn't like the atmosphere. I dismissed that at first, but I think I see their point of view now.
I think I shall be posting here less frequently.
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Post by fumobici on Sept 4, 2009 15:09:50 GMT
There's obviously a backstory here being referenced that a n00b such as myself won't get. Is this site an offshoot or splinter off some site acronymically titled TT or TTR?
Not to derail the thread, my online persona is essentially exactly the same as my "offline persona", I am probably too lazy to create multiple personae and definitely too lazy to keep track of them!
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Post by spindrift on Sept 4, 2009 15:22:00 GMT
Peace, peace....let no-one else be forced away
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Post by livaco on Sept 4, 2009 17:02:04 GMT
There's obviously a backstory here being referenced that a n00b such as myself won't get. Is this site an offshoot or splinter off some site acronymically titled TT or TTR? There is a site called Thorn Tree Refuge. It was itself originally an offshoot of the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree. I personally like the atmosphere better here than on TTR. It seems nicer here. It is an interesting question. I would think I am probably similar to what people would guess I am. I have only ever once met anyone from any of these forums. It was from the LP Thorntree, and she was exactly as I imagined she would be. bazfaz, I have encountered Grecian on TTR, and I am intrigued. How is he different than his online persona?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 18:54:44 GMT
I think that some online personae develop over time, unconsciously.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 20:01:52 GMT
A site like this is meant to be fun or it is nothing. A week or so back on TTR there was a discussion of Anyport. A number of people said they had looked at it and didn't like the atmosphere. I dismissed that at first, but I think I see their point of view now. I think I shall be posting here less frequently. Baz, I didn't realize that TTR was so much fun with all of the incessant insults and venom. Should it be mentioned to those who are not aware of it that it is perhaps the ONLY site from which life-of-the-party 'Grecian' has not been banned, even though even on TTR he had a "100% warning level" and was quarantined to a branch all by himself? I guess that every other site on the internet is therefore wrong in its appraisal of his post-worthiness? You will remember that he was given a chance here before his antisocial behaviour required his removal. If you truly prefer such an atmosphere of such rollicking good times, where people stand by smiling while people are trashed and destroyed and then just say "we were only having fun" when somebody is hurt, I really can't imagine why you would want to post here at all. Since Grecian will never insult you, perhaps you just enjoy watching him insult the others? But I personally hope that you do not leave Anyport. You are a good person even if you have strange tastes.
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Post by bazfaz on Sept 4, 2009 20:42:04 GMT
Kerouac, ummmm, not certain how to respond.
I know nothing about Grecian's anti-social behaviour here. Maybe it happened while we were in Egypt.
Grecian has been rude to people everywhere. He was banned again and again on TT. When I first posted on that site he was appalling to me - just stupidly, ignorantly abusive. I wasn't singled out - he did that to every newbie. I persisted.
On TTR he has had a history of outbursts against people. He was so awful that Sky was about to ban him for ever but instead cleverly confined him to the Sty, where he could post and people could visit him. It is too soon to say Grecian is a reformed character but he has been allowed out now to the rest of the site and doesn't trash and destroy people.
As you know I am a writer so I am not in favour of censorship. On TT when RomanB banned Grecian I organised a poll to see if that is what the regulars wanted. It was about 3-1 in favour of letting him back in.
On TTR I have from time to time got in touch with Sky when she has gone incandescent about someone's behaviour. Grecian has been one such person. PM me if you want to know others. People ought to be allowed to express themselves unless it is seriously offensive. Grecian has been in the past and probably will be in the future but let him post where he does without harping on his past criminal record.
The only reason this thread has developed into a discussion of Grecian is because Casimira objected to my talking about him. So the past couple of posts will not have pleased her. But threads do have a habit of wandering off in directions the OP did not intend. That is one of the things that makes sites such as this interesting.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 4, 2009 21:02:20 GMT
Yes, I understand that threads can veer off, and I do it myself sometimes. But I also understand Casimira's (or anybody else's) disappointment when they have started a nice little thread and it gets pulled in a completely different direction. It happens to me all the time -- but one of the reasons is because I start so many threads! Anyway, whenever that happens, the only thing you can do is start another thread and hope that the first one withers and dies.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2009 1:55:31 GMT
If you truly prefer such an atmosphere of such rollicking good times, where people stand by smiling while people are trashed and destroyed and then just say "we were only having fun" when somebody is hurt, And that is the main reason people left Thorn Tree in the first place, me included. Who wants to be in an atmosphere of that kind? Not me. It's a shame that some of the same people that left TT for that reason, became just like the people they were trying to avoid in the first place. Anyway, in answer to OP's question. Yes, I'm the same here as I am in real life, take me or leave, this is what you get. I like it and I like myself and if some don't, well, tough.
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Post by cristina on Sept 5, 2009 2:28:41 GMT
I have no history with grecian or TTR or TR (or TT, not sure of my acronyms now), but I do know from other forums I have participated in that a) topics veer (wildly, usually), and b) there are are trolls or beasts or otherwise unpleasant people who are likely 50 years old and still live with their mothers. I usually ignore those who are rude (although sometimes I can't help myself, and did so recently,(elsewhere) actually ), but ignoring, not feeding, I find is generally the best approach. Its just hard for a whole community to embrace "ignore" at the same time, I think. However, overall, I am sometimes really amazed by the fraternity (or sorority) that can establish itself in a forum of relative anonymity. There is definitely a form of sincerity that rises above the unpleasantness. As for the OP and my response regarding my own on-line persona, I am like other posters in that I am somewhat reserved until I get to know others. However I am really pretty extroverted in real life. So, I am really not sure if we were to arrange to meet at a restaurant for the first time, that you would know who I was. Although I will share this: I am a brunette. And one day, I will find a suitable photo for an avatar. Then it will be a mite bit easier. p.s. I know I screwed up my brackets, but I am frankly too tired to care atm. Apologies to all of the grammar police.
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Post by happytraveller on Sept 7, 2009 12:50:09 GMT
I am absolutely astonished and a bit confused by what has been happening in this thread and another thread. I don't understand why people have started picking on Baz.
Anyway, to answer the OP: I have a nicer language online than I have in real life. I swear quite a bit.
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Post by tillystar on Sept 7, 2009 13:04:27 GMT
What Happy said (including the sweary bit, but more especially about Baz)
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Post by lagatta on Sept 7, 2009 17:39:36 GMT
Oh dear, I do hope bazfaz doesn't leave - I've been so enjoying his accounts of recent life, moving, recounting bureaucratic hassles but somehow making it a fun read. And I want to know if he's tried that little restaurant! (I'm sure that even if it is utterly horrid he can make that into a lively story).
Thorn Tree Refuge also suffered from being so adamantly "not" Lonely Planet Thorn Tree.
I didn't like the change in software and the increased ad space at the original Thorn Tree, but for me that was never a matter of principle. However I've gone there very little of late, simply because I find the discussions dull. Though we do have to increase travel content and advice still more - it has improved, but we have a way to go.
There are quite a few interesting discussions here that I have read but didn't have anything really to add.
I don't think I'm terribly different from my online persona. Yeah, I swear more in person too, but that is more a difference between spoken and written language. Especially when conversing with people we don't really know well - sometimes swearing that is just letting off steam can come across as aggression online.
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Post by BigIain on Sept 8, 2009 7:53:41 GMT
Talking of online/offline personae... I have known Baz online for maybe 3 or 4 years? and had the great fortune to meet with him finally last year. In my opinion Baz is exactly the same in real life, maybe even nicer. He is every bit the excellent chef that he appears to be too! I have met only one other TTR/Any Port poster and they were also AT LEAST as nice a person as I had been expecting.
I also do not see the problem with people disagreeing on a site like this. Would everyone agree on every point made when we met up in the cafe as suggested in the OP? I am not here often enough to understand HTs comments at #22, but I shall have a look around to see if I can make sense of what is being suggested.
As for myself? I think that I am possibly nicer online than in the real world, particularly at the moment.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2009 8:09:10 GMT
No "picking on" has been done. There were one or two huffy statements made, but I personally do not think that either party did the other any irremediable psychological damage.
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Post by BigIain on Sept 8, 2009 8:24:12 GMT
OP related: I would expect to be able to pick out only a few people in the cafe. I have seen pics of many of you but do not come online often enough to know most posters much at all.
Kerouac, the next time I manage to be in Paris we can select a cafe during a busy time and see if we can find eachother in there at a certain time!. I may even disguise my cheap red wine in a coffee cup just to add confusion to the game!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2009 8:27:54 GMT
Your kilt will be a dead giveaway!
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Post by BigIain on Sept 8, 2009 8:41:34 GMT
I may even choose to wear mens clothing for the day too!
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