Hi everyone I am a final year Psychology student in Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. For my final year project, I am investigating how people using the internet for social purposes act out different parts of their selves online – that is, express parts of themselves that they would not normally in everyday life. If you use the Internet for social interaction and if you present your self online as someone different from your self in real life (e.g. if you play a character online or just behave in a way that you feel is different from how you are in everyday life) I would be grateful if you would complete my short questionnaire. If you meet the above criteria and if you are interested, please contact me on the following e-mail address for more information and the questionnaire: self_study@excite.co.uk All participants in this study are guaranteed complete confidentiality and will receive a copy of the completed report in March. Thank you for your time Lorraine Seery

Hi, I believe I qualify for your study. I would like to help you in your research. Please contact me with the details.

Social interaction yes, present differently from real life, no. You might contact Sarah T. at navelgazer.com as she has does some great research into the nature of online culture, or Derek P. at the fray.org. You will find some amazing "social interaction" /real sharing /real honesty for the most part here at sorabji. Most poseur don't stay here long.

surely Daniel, you have to assume that most people here are not exactly their sorabjiite personas. whether more or less true to self, we are all most likely not true to physical character.

I've gotta agree with Nate. Is it all honest? yep. but it definitely has a different flavor than it would in real life. I'd wager that some people are more aggressive, more or less logical, calm, confident online than in real life. If you really want people who take on full new personas online: oh, splat. nevermind. I meant to find the URL for the big and important MUD journal, but it ran away. Still, there's tons of research out there regarding MUD and MOO communities; not only in the context of "gaming," but universes set up for education and social interaction, too.

well I'm not at all my aggressive sarcastic self anymore, so insert tongue in cheek and raspberry to us all. perhaps the only persona real on the boards here ... is .... will the real sorabji stand up? Few know for sure that I really exist and somedays even they and I are puzzled. I am in reality a small hunchbacked one legged gorilla who was educated at Exeter and hang out as a hairy unbathed Viet Nam hippie vet panhandler in front of the Kennedy Center, on whom the real Mark THomas took pity and gave me an identity. The St. Louis thing is just a front. Yeah, like this gorilla is a therapist! Only Cat knows for sure. By the way, where is she? Most of us are cruising biker bars in Michigan (I hear). Send hair spray. By the way, they used to call me Lugh in the Old Days (preNet).

Well,I personally am much more reserved here,than I am in "real life". But,on the other hand,I am a master of disguise!

if i had to sign my real name, i simply wouldn't be here.

You don't have to go through live being called Barnalopholous, you know. It's a hundred bucks or so to legally change your name, and it can make all the difference in the world when you're on a date. My parents wanted to name me Augustus, and I would sign that name, either.

and the originator of the internet (www at least) and HTML is but four years younger than I am. <sigh> and I could have been a famous gorilla too. Ok CZ: so you know too that I don't exist. So much for the hidden gorillacade. It's hard to disguise myself as a republican.

and Daniel is my real name. really.

i want an ape.org mail address.

make one up: it's easy. None of us exist.

no fair.

Quit your whining dave. I'm back and won't tolerate any of that whimpy-girly-poo-bum attitude. Daniel, I may just have left my boot prints on a bar table or two. I hope you've been making snow angels in my absence.

you're a bitch.

Oh don't make me blush candypants.

so good to have you BOTH back...so soothing. Actually Dave, the ape.org and ape.net exist. There's a Doug at ape.org. Ape = administrators, programmers, engineers... So I aped 'em. Boot tracks? mean you been to da North? Up? SNOW ANGELS not withstanding, there's some serious white stuff out this morning but I feel invincible with four new tires on the Danmobile. Was going to get a new Danmobile, but won't be able to afford airplane tickets then. So if it'll float, I can always superinflate the tires and row myself over. Miss the VW that way; it always floated...

I'm pretty much here,as I am in my life,at this point,I'd print my real name,but I have shared some really shitty things I've done,that could possibly get me in trouble with the law.