But the whole online relationship/friend “thing” is interesting. I remember coaching some colleagues on the use of text, i.e. “what they type” in emails and reports because their “sense of humour” etc may not be understood by the person on the receiving end – who may pass it on to someone else. And thus, what you thought was a harmless, throwaway remark has now formed the basis of what, (maybe?), several people think of you. And some of those people you’ll never even know about – and never will, because they’ll never be contacting you. From a business point of view that can be quite damaging.

From a personal point of view, my “internet fame”, lol, is not that big that I’ve made a huge amount of “online friends and relationships”. The “usual suspects” from a certain forum not a million miles from here know who they are ;O) Thankfully, in the formation of “Online” relationships today, I think the use of audio and video gives folks the feeling of something tangible they can relate to. And it’s true – the internet is not real life.

But, I suppose as in real life, as friends come and go, and bust-ups happen in relationships – the BIG difference between the offline and on-line worlds is that on-line – there’ll always be a permanent printed record of something somewhere, which can be dragged up by anyone at any opportunity. Whereas in “real life” our memories fade, (like that old Bob Dylan cassette you used to play in the car ;O)), and it all becomes a bit distorted and blurry.

This is very philosophical: “And yet, I still feel as though I’d be less forgotten if I left the online world, where I know more people, but the loss of me would be felt greater if I were to leave the earth, where I’m lesser known”. And if you replace the words “online world” with something like “movie business”, or “stage”, then this would equally apply to all those folks who have attained “fame” which has taken them up to a different level, (a different world), from the normal world we live in. But the beauty about the anonymity on the net is that you have a far greater control over it. I mean, if you want to disappear – you can – at the flick of a switch, literally!

In a macabre kind of why, or, indeed, as a business experiment – it may be worth exploring the effect of reducing time online in certain areas of the net, (if this were possible), just to see the effect – if, indeed the effect could be measured. (Sorry, I’m rambling now!)

If I leave my presence on the internet… it would take a team of archeologists and researchers in a hundred or so years time asking “Paul who?” ;O)

Fame, on the Internet, fascinates me. It’s a perceived reality. I can walk outside my house and I’m nobody. But online, I walk into certain “rooms”, and I’m known not by sight but by my username. And yet, I still feel as though I’d be less forgotten if I left the online world, where I know more people, but the loss of me would be felt greater if I were to leave the earth, where I’m lesser known.

Very strange.