Today's question: LT and RL (real life)- do you have friends in real life that you met through LibraryThing? Have you attended any LT meet-ups in your area? Would you be open to attending meet-ups or is LT strictly an online thing for you?
Wow this is a really great question! But sadly this will be a very short answer for me. No I do not have any RL friends on LT and I have not met anyone IRL through LT.
Meeting online friends in RL is a great thing - when it works out. I have met a few people that I originally knew only online - some turned into lasting friendships, others worked out better as online acquaintances. I think it all has to do with how you carry and present yourself. One of the biggest things I have learnt from the internet is that some people act very differently online as opposed to IRL. Which I think is perfectly fine.
As for LT meet-ups, I do not know of any that have happened in my area, but it would be really cool to participate in one. It would almost be like a book group meeting - but with no restrictions on what books you talk about.
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9 comments:
I can honestly say I've never physically talked to anyone I met online. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing I don't know.
I used LJ for awhile and had some friends on that, but I was never really good pals with anyone.
Lt is a bit different, since everyone has been so nice and friendly and we're all excited about books- which I think is a special bond in itself. It might be nice to meet LT people someday- like you said- "a book group meeting" :)
Great answer...I've met some online friends in RL and things worked out. I've been lucky, but people do act differently in real life. Sometimes when I read posts on message boards, I shake my head and wonder would they really say that to the person if they were facing them in RL? I think not.
I've never met anyone in person that I met online first. Of course, I'm new to blogging and LT.
I've also never met an online friend in real life, and while it could be fun, I share your concerns that it might be disappointing or jarring if the online persona doesn't match the real one. It would be worth a shot, though!
As you can see from my answer, I am a big fan of meeting your online friends. I travel a lot on business and it's really fun to have a "friend" to meet up with for a drink or share dinner with when you've been on your own for a week. Obviously, you have to be careful, but in the dozens of online friends I've met, I have only met one person I found really creepy. That's a better average, actually, than the people I work with!
You guys are so lucky - I would love to meet ANY of you, but it seems that no one lives here in the south!
It is true that some folks are different online than in rl. But I've found it's more that they are their 'real' selves online because they don't have to hold back. Now, that can be good and bad, right? But it sure makes interacting online a whole lot different after you've met someone face to face.
I love your idea of book swaps at a LT meet-up!
All the online friends I've met in real life I've met after chatting with them for a long time. If you are using a persona instead of being yourself, it's more difficult to maintain that false self as weeks and months go by. Me? I'm too simple-minded to remember lies, so I have to be myself wherever I go. :o)
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