A friend told me that he saw something cool the other day and almost started to turn around to tell me about it – but of course I wasn’t there. He’s just so used to telling me stuff that his first urge was to turn and talk to me.
The really cool part about this – we’ve never even met in real life.
Yep, this is a friend I’ve made totally through the computer and everything we’ve shared has been little letters on our computer screens, just like you’re reading here.
Sometimes it’s hard to get tone and inflection just right using nothing more than flat letters, but I think the two of us do just fine. He and I have butted heads (hard!), whispered secrets and cracked up together. All online. He tamed me totally.
It proves to me yet again that our true selves can be projected online. A guy I’ve never met in real life wanted to turn and tell me something because our writing got stuck in each other’s heads. HE’S in my head. This is nothing new, I’ve been doing it for years. I’ve had penpals since I was a teenager. We’ve gone from the written word to the computer, digital cameras, voice chat and video. To me, they are all just tools (toys) to help people far away from each other become real.
There is nothing to keep you from getting to know practically anyone in the world, if only you try.
People have said they feel like they know me when they read my blog. The thing is, they do. They really do. That’s me all over the place. (Maybe too much me sometimes, but hey, I’m all I’ve got to work with, aren’t I?)
It’s up to you how much you want to reveal of yourself online. If you’re working on a business blog though, have at least a little “you” in it. We’ll want to come back and hear more when we know and love you. Maggie Dokic took me with her and hers girls to look at the stars in her blog the other day. THAT’S what I’m talking about. She didn’t just tell me how to get someplace, she took me with her. (Important – “took me” – “with her”.) I got to feel like I’d been there, and that I went with and know Maggie. Well, I do. She’s my Maggie, because these little letters on the computer helped us to get to know each other. She's probably your Maggie, too. Aren't we lucky?
And this morning I took some extra pictures for this friend of mine that I’ve never met, because I wanted to turn to him and ask, “Did you see that?” Shame he wasn't there.
Once you're real, you can't become un-real again. It lasts for always.
~ The Velveteen Rabbit
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