Hello friend

My design guru and blog mate poses an interesting question in her contribution for today. My remarks and thoughts are too big for a comment on her spot and relevant to more than just her wide circle of friends - hence this. Go read what she has to say. I have extracted some of the bits she wrote and they are in italics below:
From experience I would have to say that it is perhaps possible to get to know someone via the internet more closely and with greater speed than face to face. Human beings have a strange ability to not be quite so upfront when face to face, give us the first line anonymity of a keyboard and suddenly we become braver about what we will tell one another in the first instance. I defy any one of you to deny that you have spoken of things to someone online that you would find harder to say if you where physically sat front of one another.
My comment on this is that I certainly find it very much easier to communicate with strangers by way of the net. One can review the written word in a way not possible with spontaneous speech. I have issues with getting involved with large groups of people - "I get on with individuals; it's people I hate" but the web allows me to focus on just one person. A minor benefit for me is that if I choose to treat someone as 'people' person, I have only to click in the top right hand corner and they are gone. In direct contact, it is likely that I would have expressed my opinion in a forceful and offensive manner.
I have met friends and a far wider diversity of individuals online than I suspect I would have had the opportunity too face to face.
This certainly true. I have been lucky to have travelled widely around the world but I have been in friendly contact with dozens of people I could never have met in my wanderings.So what prompted this post? An email from a friend yesterday. A guy who I hope considers me a friend and who strangely is probably the most likely person I am to meet 'for real' because coincidentally he isn't thousands of miles away. The guy in question has lent me some very helpful advice and support over the last few weeks one way and another and despite living close by I doubt we would have met other than on the internet.....even if we had it is unlikely we would have done more than pass the time of day, let alone become friends.
Hi! friend. Even at my advanced age and state of decline, it's unlikely that I would have stopped at 'passing the time of day' where a good looking woman is involved.