Unless I have met people I have encountered on forums in real life, I don't know if they are anything like they way they portray themselves on forums. Of course some people are no doubt genuine, and how they come over on a forum is how they are in reality. In the past I have met up with several people whom I had first come across on the forums on which I had posted, with one exception they were absolutely nothing like they had presented themselves. It was a very unpleasant shock.

I've adjusted my life now that I'm retired, to include some time on this forum. Trouble is; Left unmolested, I have no idea how much time I have spent perusing the forum. I might spend an hour on the forum while having my breakfast, I need something to digest other than my porridge.....So if I wasn't on the forum I'd be reading something or watching the telly while I eat, and like Mart, I have a telly positioned just to the left of me.

But the problem arises when Mrs Fox goes out in the mornings, and then there is nobody to tut at me and remind me just how many jobs there are on 'The List' and before I know it, breakfast has turned into lunch.....
So in that situation, Yes! I probably do spend too much time on my Netbook.

In the evenings I once again return to the forum while half watching the telly, usually I'm too tired to do anything else so it's just nice to sit and rest. Because you have virtually no input to what occurs on the TV and Newspapers I prefer to converse with real people (you are real aren't you?) and these days I obtain most of my news from the forum, and also like to read what other members think.
You have replaced my work colleagues....So for that I thank you all....

The internet is such a marvellous thing and gives us a new way to communicate with each other, you can either embrace it or ignore it, but it's not going to go away anytime soon, and we'd be lost without it now....

Unless I have met people I have encountered on forums in real life, I don't know if they are anything like they way they portray themselves on forums. Of course some people are no doubt genuine, and how they come over on a forum is how they are in reality. In the past I have met up with several people whom I had first come across on the forums on which I had posted, with one exception they were absolutely nothing like they had presented themselves. It was a very unpleasant shock.

In what way were they different Tara?

A husband and wife who were the Admin of a forum on which I posted, came to our previous home about 15 years ago. They spent their time with us making fun, in a very unpleasant way, of other posters including the mods. They also divulged personal information, which had been given them in confidence. We were glad to see the back of them, and I deleted my membership of the forum immediately. Whilst the others I met weren't as bad as that they still were very different to they way they were on the forums. They were not the sort of people I would wish to have dealings with in my everyday life.

I think there have been some meets among posters here...but if I met anyone I'd be well annoyed if they then went public with their impressions!!
But that's different...your story is interesting Tara.
Disillusionment is not pleasant!

Do people post online whilst also watching TV?

Why not keep things in perspective as you would normally when using forums instead of this 'not real' approach.?

Whatever your opinion of posters it still takes real people to type a question or answer.

Floydy made the point about people arguing online and the one thing about this is...you can at least log off a forum but you cannot always get away from someone who is a bully, argumentative or suspicious in your everyday circumstances .

I think everybody has got a forum persona which differs from their real persona in varying degrees.

Online I'm more likely to walk away from a row but in real life I'll stand my ground, the reason being that online (to me) doesn't matter hugely so therefore it's not as real as real life.

In real life I will argue and stand my ground as it's more likely to affect my actual real life.

That sounds confusing but I know what I mean