I’m just going to be honest.
Sometimes I feel like it’s easier to be real, open and authentic online than it is in person.
I can bare my soul, talk about my weight issues, my marriage issues, show the inside of my van for the whole world to see. At least the whole world on the other end of the pale light of the computer screen.
And here’s a huge confession:
Sometimes I feel like YOU all know me better than my real-life friends do.
[before all of you real-life friends get your feelings hurt, if you are reading this at all, you count in the "YOU" too.] It’s not like I require people who know me in real life to frequent my blog, but let’s just be real here: I don’t hold much back here on this little corner of web real estate.
This is nitty-gritty, scared, bloated, hurt, frustrated, weepy me.
Sure I get feedback: that comes in the form of emails, comments and the occasional twitter @ reply. But it’s far different than the kind of feedback I would get if I shared the same information/story/truth standing flip-flop to flip-flop with a friend while our kids are swimming at the pool in July. If I walked up to a group of moms at the park and told them some of my stories (the ones I tell to you every day) I might get some “hmphs” and another mother might grab her two year old by the hand and with a worried look hurry her to the car.
So here, in the blog/twitter world we start with a context. We get past the how-many-kids-do-you-have questions and go straight for the throat: grace, failure, forgiveness…
It might take me months or years knowing someone strictly in face-to-face real life to cut through the awkward red tape that we cut through daily here on the blog world.
With that said, there is something magical about sharing the same oxygen with someone you’ve met here and then get to meet for real.
Meet Cindy. There was not any first-meeting red tape. We’d cut all that a long time ago via blog comments and phone calls. There was just sisterhood and friendship.
Meeting Cindy from Sarah Markley on Vimeo.
This is why I can be instant friends with someone I’ve met for the first time.
What do you think? Do you agree? Why is it easier to be more real/open online than in person?
click HERE to visit my site and watch the video
