Question: Do you treat online people the same as offline people?
This should be a fun question to think about, specially if you sometimes wonder whether you are a true friend or a true business person. Do you treat the people you know online, friends and others, the same way you treat friends and others in the offline world?
I talked about the possibility of treating online friends like offline friends earlier this year, and SP and Vera offered excellent views and opinions regarding the topic, like how it can be hard to find out if a person is a true friend online, or how online friends have something in common with you. Among some other variations, you could be treating online people the same, better or a bit worse or less than the way you treat your offline friends.
Examples of treating online people the same, better or worse/less than offline people
Treating online people the same as offline people : you consider offline people to be true friends, you can talk to either offline or online and be satisfied, you give offline and online people the same priorities, etc.
Treating online people better than offline people : you trust and share your life with online people more than offline people, you prefer spending time with online people more than offline people, etc.
Treating online people worse/less than offline people : you trust offline people more than online people, you may also think online people can be inferior compared to the online people because of the online nature of things, you prefer talking in person instead of talking online, you avoid sharing personal stories with others online, etc.
Do you treat online people the same as offline people?
What is your opinion on this? Do you treat online people the same as offline people? How do you treat and compare the two?
Thank you. 
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( June 17th, 2007 at 3:06 pm )
Woah, what’s crazy about this post is that I was thinking of asking a similar question on my entry that I wrote today! But I decided not to… But wow, that’s crazy…
Usually, I treat online people the same as offline people. It pretty much depends on how I get treated, though, but usually, how I act online is how I act offline also.
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( June 17th, 2007 at 4:11 pm )
I probably treat people online better, but it’s much harder to establish a relationship with someone online. With offline friends, you can go out to coffee or something. Online, it’s much harder.
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( June 17th, 2007 at 5:43 pm )
SP, thanks for the reply. That is indeed crazy! You can still post about it so we/I can read.
So, If I am reading it correctly, you treat people regardless of them being online or offline, but the important thing is how they treat you. Does your behavior towards them depend only on how they are treating you, regardless of them and you being online or offline?
Ronald, thanks for the comment. When you say you treat online people better, is it because it is easier to do it online, or because you prefer online people more for some specific reason or reasons?
Does that mean that in order to make online relations grow, one needs to move the online relations towards the offline life?
Wow, these were extremely good comments, which have raised a lot of more interesting ideas and questions! Thank you!
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( June 17th, 2007 at 11:24 pm )
Just like I treat offline people differently, depending on the circumstances and their relationship with me, the same is true with the way I treat online people.
Of course, meeting someone in person may change the relationship – either make it closer or more distant. But in most cases if online people treat me with respect, they get the same in return.
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( June 18th, 2007 at 2:47 am )
I personally like to be respectful and nice online when I first talk to someone, cause without being able to see their facial expression and hearing their voice tones, they can’t tell whether we’re being genuinely nice or sarcastic or whatnot.
I think there’s different levels of how easy it is to treat someone nicely or not in online and offline life.
For example, online it’s easier to chat and get along and share, as you don’t have that ‘in your face’ kind of confrontation. Personal or deep-meaningful conversations may be easier for some people…
On the other side, offline, it’s more personal and it is face to face so there’s some sort of… advice and comfort in that. They can also hug and all that real-life mushy stuff.
I just realised my train of thought isn’t relevant to your topic about being nice, lol. Well, it’s related to online-offline.
In real life, sometimes its harder to be nice because there are so many… variables. The person, the situation, perhaps past situations, that person’s attitude towards you, maybe they are fake nice? I find it very hard to be genuinely nice to someone, when I can tell they are being fake nice to me… such as someone who never speaks to me, but is suddenly oh-so-sweet when they need something. Or someone who I know does not like me or has sad something about me putting me down… yet to my face acts like we’re best buddies. In that regard, in real life it’s hard to ignore, but online it’s easier to just forget it I think, cause you can’t tell as much by the ‘tone’ of their voice or their expression.
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( June 18th, 2007 at 4:08 am )
I don’t think so. Like, I, for example… I’m chatty when I’m online. But if you get to meet me in person, I’m just quiet.
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( June 20th, 2007 at 1:58 pm )
Vivien-inspirationbit, thanks for sharing. So you treat both the same way, depending on the circumstances and people’s relationship with you, I see.
I wonder if there could be a clash of ideas, where one person like you wants to treat with respect another respectful person who respects back, but someone else may come along and simply trash everyone because it’s the online world, and because they can.
Jess, thanks for the comment. I personally like to be extra respectful and a bit formal, combined with a bit informal if possible, during the first times of meeting someone. I will tend to show the person my real character, though I will add a bit more formality on purpose, and try to show that I am being extra careful or respectul. I am sure you have noticed similar things in people online.
Heh, I like your offline example: “real-life mushy stuff.” I am guessing the “nudge” in msn won’t do?
Your train of thought is relevant to the topic, I think, so no worries.
Good point about the “Variables” in the offline world. Even the weather, what a person wears, the way they position themselves, their tone of voice, “attitude” like you said, and many other things come into play. Also, it is very common for many people to become nicer to other people when they need something, which was my 1st of the 10 signs one is moody.
So, in your view, it is easy to forget grudges from either party online, and it is hard to do so in the offline world? Also, do you think people can ever have similar facilities available, as the offline world [like visual or verbal observation], in the online world too?
Casablanca Travel, thanks for visiting and commenting. I really appreciate it.
That is interesting, and I think some people, including myself, have different qualities online and offline.
if I may ask, do you think you are more interactive online, if that’s the right word to go along with “chatty“, because online it is easier to type, not worry too much about the offline-kind of formalities in some cases, etc?
Thanks again.
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( June 20th, 2007 at 2:20 pm )
Bes, usually other people’s trashy opinion about people who I respect doesn’t influence me and doesn’t make me change my personal opinion about those people.
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( June 20th, 2007 at 9:27 pm )
I think that I treat online and offline people pretty much the same in most respects. When it comes down to it, I don’t think that either is treated better, necessarily, but some are treated differently.
Often, I can be less shy online. When you’re not face-to-face with someone it can be easier to say what you really think and feel. Whereas offline I am just plain very shy when meeting new people.
Also, when it comes to online people, one has to often be more careful in what they say and how they say it simply because the person you’re talking to does not see your face and hear your tone of voice and what may actually be a joke, may come across completely opposite.
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( June 21st, 2007 at 2:48 pm )
Vivien-Inspirationbit, I see, thanks. So it is probably along the lines of: if others are nice, treat them nicely.
Valerie, thanks for the comment.
I like the way you describe how people can act different online and how you yourself can act a bit different online.
Yes, online, it can be hard to realize whether or not a person is actually intending to say something, or just saying it to carry on a conversation. Thanks for sharing.
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