When Real Life Meets the Internet

[Nurvingiel]

My main reason for starting this thread is: have you ever met one of your on-line buddies in real life? I personally have never done this, and actually feel a bit shy about it. However, Jonathan and I are going to have a fika in Stockholm (if I can get there ). Jerseydevil and Ruinel have met in person as well.

What do you feel about meeting on-line buddies in person? Have you done this with any Mooters?


From another hobby of mine (reading Lord of the Rings fanfiction), I can see another place where real life might meet the internet, but this time in reverse. I'll summarize some of my fanfic reading experience. There is a lot of utter canon-mangling rubbish out there. Everything from the spelling and grammer to the characterization and plot could be total crap in a story, but still the author will probably get at least a few people telling them the story was great, and to write more.
If someone does say the story is crap, possible author responses include some very childish methods like starting a flame war, trolling, or spamming the reviewer's inbox.

In real life, it is highly unlikely that total crap would get praise. Also, spamming and trollery wouldn't be possible, or at least would be considered socially unacceptable.

It seems like the internet is a society unto itself. It even has its own languages! (HTML, or AOL-speak...)

How and when have you observed the two societies of real life and the internet interacting, and what was the results?

All thoughts are appreciated. Perhaps I've left out some other manifestation of real life (RL)-internet interactions. If so, I'd like to hear about them!

[jerseydevil]

I see no difference in internet friends and real life friends. Everyone in life is a stranger until you talk to them and get to know them. Some people on the net I have gotten to know - and I do consider them friends. I also don't see much difference in this than back in the days when people like Thomas Jefferson would be "introduced" to someone who he had never met, but through a mutual friend, and would carry on a correspondence. Many times they would later meet when he would invite them to Monticello.

Some people know they have a standiong invitation to stay at my place and that I would love to show them around. I just consider some net friends to be friends and don't look at them anymore as being restricted to just the net. Obviously just like with real friends - some you are closer to than others.

[Insidious Rex]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

From another hobby of mine (reading Lord of the Rings fanfiction), I can see another place where real life might meet the internet, but this time in reverse. I'll summarize some of my fanfic reading experience. There is a lot of utter canon-mangling rubbish out there. Everything from the spelling and grammer to the characterization and plot could be total crap in a story, but still the author will probably get at least a few people telling them the story was great, and to write more.
If someone does say the story is crap, possible author responses include some very childish methods like starting a flame war, trolling, or spamming the reviewer's inbox.

In real life, it is highly unlikely that total crap would get praise. Also, spamming and trollery wouldn't be possible, or at least would be considered socially unacceptable.

real life vs internet

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Insidious Rex

real life vs internet

OMG, that video is so frigging funny! Bwahaha!
I especially liked the "Discussing Politics" part, boy did I laugh

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

there are a number of people that i know in real life that i IM with, but no one i know in real life started out as a internet friend, i would like to meet all of my mates ere on t'moot, of course, everyone is so interesting, and whilst we may not always agree, i like everyone, so anyone travelling near bridgwater, stop by my place

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by Last Child of Ungoliant

there are a number of people that i know in real life that i IM with, but no one i know in real life started out as a internet friend, i would like to meet all of my mates ere on t'moot, of course, everyone is so interesting, and whilst we may not always agree, i like everyone, so anyone travelling near bridgwater, stop by my place

hey - I live about a half hour froom Bridgewater - but I suppose you don't mean - Bridgewater NJ. Anyway - if you ever want to visit - you are more than welcome to come out too. I feel the same way about people on entmoot - except when it comes to people who make arguments personal.

As for the video - I have to agree with Jonathan. That politics part was hilarious and pretty true. Although - if people are really on very opposing sides - sometimes it's best not to discuss politics at all among friends.

Anyway - Ruinel wasn't the first person I met off the net. I met my friend Olga (who I haven't talked to in a long time). She was from Moscow and moved to the US after we had started e-mailing each other. The week she moved to LA - I flew to LA to take her around to various places. We had a great time. Although it was funny when I picked her up to go to Seaworld and she's dressed up - instead of just wearing jeans and t-shirt and dressing casual. She now dresses much more casual than what she once did.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Originally Posted by JD

hey - I live about a half hour froom Bridgewater - but I suppose you don't mean - Bridgewater NJ.

nope, deffo mean bridgwater, Som , which is interesting as i live bout half hour drive from bridgwater, strange coincidence! it is the nearest town to me,

Originally Posted by jd

Anyway - if you ever want to visit - you are more than welcome to come out too. I feel the same way about people on entmoot - except when it comes to people who make arguments personal.

same with me

[Telcontar_Dunedain]

Originally Posted by Last Child of Ungoliant

there are a number of people that i know in real life that i IM with, but no one i know in real life started out as a internet friend, i would like to meet all of my mates ere on t'moot, of course, everyone is so interesting, and whilst we may not always agree, i like everyone, so anyone travelling near bridgwater, stop by my place

I live about half an hour/three quaters of an hours away from Bridgwater, and I'm pretty sure it's the one you're talking about!

[Rían]

I met one Mooter once. She was on the Moot for about 6 months and I found out she liked archery and she lived near me, so I told her about where I shoot, and we met. She was about 13 and a half, just a little older than my son (who shoots, too). She was pretty shy, tho - very talkative and outspoken on the Internet, but when we met her, she was a smiler/giggler type. She was on my Tengwar thread and very talkative, but whenever I tried to talk to her in RL, I basically got an "uh-huh!" and a smile and a giggle. Same results for whenever my son tried to talk to her. So in this case, I was very surprised at how different she was in RL compared to how she was on the Internet.

I would LOVE to have another RL Entmoot and meet the Mooters! I don't see how it would be practical, tho.

[Last Child of Ungoliant]

Originally Posted by Telcontar_Dunedain

I live about half an hour/three quaters of an hours away from Bridgwater, and I'm pretty sure it's the one you're talking about!

deff the same one, TD stinky bridgwater with the cellophane factory

[me9996]

Bad idea!!!

[cassiopeia]

I've met somebody. All I'm going to say is that it's a very, very bad idea.

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by cassiopeia

I've met somebody. All I'm going to say is that it's a very, very bad idea.

I think it all depends though. I've met several people - and it wasn't a bad idea at all. I had a great time and I know Ruinel had a great time when she was here.

[cassiopeia]

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

I think it all depends though. I've met several people - and it wasn't a bad idea at all. I had a great time and I know Ruinel had a great time when she was here.

It does. It's just that I've met one person from the internet, and it all turned out very badly. I'm still hurting from this, so it's going to be a long time before I consider meeting anybody else I know on the 'net.

[jerseydevil]

Originally Posted by cassiopeia

It does. It's just that I've met one person from the internet, and it all turned out very badly. I'm still hurting from this, so it's going to be a long time before I consider meeting anybody else I know on the 'net.

I'm sorry to hear that. It's not always a good experience, but I also worked with someone who got married to someone he met in a chat room.

[jerseydevil]

I should post that I probably do things that most people won't do though. The one time when I was managing my mother's bookstore after she died, there was this 17 year old who always came in the store. He actually lived an hour away - and he basically was living on the streets of Seymour. He came in and said how he had no where to go and no food to eat - and his clothes were so dirty - as was he. I told him to come back around 5:30.

He came back and since the homeless shelter was closed, I told him he could stay at my place for the night and I'd take him to get some new clothes. So I got him clothes, got him food, he got to have a shower and then in the morning I took him to the shelter where they help people in his situation. It might have been stupid - but I couldn't see him sleeping outside again (although I hadn't known he was sleeping outside, until he had told me).

[Nurvingiel]

OMG IRex that movie was so funny! And so very very true...
Meeting real people on the internet...
"Hey, you're not a girl."
"Yes I am."
"Send me naked pictures."
"Okay."
"I LOVE ANGELINA JOLIE! DOES ANYONE ELSE LIKE ANGELINA JOLIE!?"




I have to agree with Me9996, at least for younger people. There are some sick sick people that abuse the anonymity of the internet. You don't want to meet those people, ever. Why take the chance?
For adults, we're allowed to do stupid things. But as Cassopeia pointed out, it can still go very wrong.
I was going to meet Jonathan for a fika, but I didn't end up doing so for reasons not related to internet-RL shyness. (See vent thread. Again.)

[Nurvingiel]

(From the Temporary Venting thread)

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Sorry to hear that Nurv, you would have loved Stockholm I'm sure.
I guess we'll just have to postpone the fika a bit. When you come to Stockholm this summer, maybe we can meet then

Now this poses a problem since I'm travelling with my parents. I can imaine a scenario, but I don't particulary want to be in this.
Me: Meet my friend Jonathan.
*polite greetings all around*
Dad: So how do you guys know each other?
Mom: Are you an exchange student too Jonathan?
Me: Actually, we met on a Tolkien message board called Entmoot.
Jonathan: We've both been members there for over two years.
Parents: *blank look* *dubiousness is disguised. But I know it's there*
*stilted conversation ensues*
Later
Dad: Entmoot? *undisguised dubiousness*
Me: Heh...

That's pretty much how it would go down. I'd be happy to meet you if I was travelling alone, but my parents don't know you at all, not being Mooters, and it would just be too awkward.

One of my online buddies actually wanted to come visit me in Umeå. I declined as kindly as I could. She's very nice and I like chatting with her, but I was quite nervous at the thought of meeting her in person.

[me9996]

Originally Posted by Nurvingiel

(From the Temporary Venting thread)

Now this poses a problem since I'm travelling with my parents. I can imaine a scenario, but I don't particulary want to be in this.
Me: Meet my friend Jonathan.
*polite greetings all around*
Dad: So how do you guys know each other?
Mom: Are you an exchange student too Jonathan?
Me: Actually, we met on a Tolkien message board called Entmoot.
Jonathan: We've both been members there for over two years.
Parents: *blank look* *dubiousness is disguised. But I know it's there*
*stilted conversation ensues*
Later
Dad: Entmoot? *undisguised dubiousness*
Me: Heh...

That's pretty much how it would go down. I'd be happy to meet you if I was travelling alone, but my parents don't know you at all, not being Mooters, and it would just be too awkward.

One of my online buddies actually wanted to come visit me in Umeå. I declined as kindly as I could. She's very nice and I like chatting with her, but I was quite nervous at the thought of meeting her in person.

That would never happen, I'd never meet someone that I met one the internet... However I tend to invite friends to oneline places

[Nurvingiel]

Thanks for being so cool about it Jonathan.

Originally Posted by me9996

That would never happen, I'd never meet someone that I met one the internet... However I tend to invite friends to oneline places

Yeah I totally understand Me#.

Does anyone else have on-line stories?

Have you met anyone else besides Ruinel JD?