I usually try to mix formality with informality in writing, though I also try to write so that anyone can easily grasp what I am trying to say.

For me, friends online are the same as friends offline, and thus I also cannot just start calling someone a “friend” or start getting close or distant simply because of the nature of the online world. Friendship is friendship, and it is developed. So, if I consider someone a friend online, I treat them just as I would treat an offline friend unless that person wants to be treated differently, which sometimes proves to be difficult for me.

I act like myself, though I usually do not open up easily, or I open up slowly. However, I will make sure that whatever I do ensures the other person to be 200% happy with my relationship with them, whether it is a personal relationship or a business relationship.

As for the way I think others view me online, I am not sure. I guess I should ask the online people directly what they think of me and my site?

Jess, wow, thank you for such a wonderful, and long, comment. I guess the competition has gotten stronger now! 0_0

I personally think you sound intelligent and smart in your blog, so maybe you are pulling it off well? j/k. I am guessing since it is you, you do not think that you are that good, but if someone else is observing your writing and your blog, they can notice the smartness and intelligence?

I like your point that online people “don’t know the real” you. Our online habits give a vibe of what we are, or what we are capable of (if we are pretending to be something online), but the real us is not visible in its entirely in the online world. However, how we act online is part of us, whether we are faking it or showing our true form. Thus, whatever we do online, even if offline we are the exact opposite, we are liable for what we do online since that is part of our character and life too, even if it’s fake.

About punctuation and other things, I am guessing it is a good thing that the way humans act in offline world, sometimes being formal and sometimes being informal, you try to be or are the same way in the online world: sometimes formal and sometimes informal online.

I think this was an excellent comment. Thanks again Jess.

Andrew, thanks for the wonderful article. I really appreciate your effort in contributing this while I was traveling.

Firstly, my writing style: I think I’m pretty informal; I talk a lot about my own opinions and feelings (even when commenting, I reference a lot about my own past experiences and share stories… as you shall see in this comment). I like to sound really smart and use complicated sayings and sentences… but I’d be lucky if I could pull it off once a blog. I like to think I am intellectual in that I think a lot about the world, experiences, life, people… anything and everything, but I’m not intellectual in the way of articulating. During blogs, I blog about my daily events, mainly for myself: my blog is like a diary, but a diary whereas I look at the situation and try and pull my feelings away from it a little to analyse it… sometimes I may even admit I was wrong, but it’s to help me put things in perspective (that point might have been completely unrelated to this post topic).

As for how friendly I get with visitors/affiliates/etc, and whether they really know me? Well, I used to be friends with my affiliates when I was into web-designing… we’d speak over msn as well as commenting on each other’s websites. Now though, I’m not as into web-designing in the sense that I want a popular website, with lots of visitors and whatnot. If people visit, it’s great… but if not, this website/blog is for me for my personal reasons, and to improve my graphic skills and coding skills. So in that regard… as of my relationship with on-line people now, I suppose they don’t know the real me. They read of my events and I read of theirs, and we comment and give some advice and that’s it. They don’t know my personality other than from my blogs, and they don’t see the whole of my personality through my blogs.

Like you said, I am very insecure in the way that I do not like criticism, or even if someone gave me advice that makes me feel dumb. However, I try to hold back on a reply, because after all, they only read my blog which may not have all of the details or something was mis-interperated. Sometimes it frustrates me when some bloggers reply to their comments, in a sort of negative way… I don’t know how to explain it. Such as when a blogger tries to justify themself… but it comes across negatively towards the commenter.

I think this was quite a long comment; so many of my comments are so long and full of my own chatter about myself, I feel a bit self-centered at times, haha.
Oh, I just remembered something too. On serious issues, I speak like this. Punctuation and all (well, I normally punctuate and spell correctly anyway). But on other sites, on daily events or non-serious issues I can be very “yaayyy, wheee! x__x lol” type of chatter. Sort of like in real life, when different situations bring out different replies from a person.

Finally, the end to this long comment. Thanks for a great topic, Andrew! Take care of yourself. =)