interesting question...i think it depends, for me at least, on where i am. the net is a big space and i don't really treat every spot the same.
message boards are very community oriented for me. i view them as a hangout, with the majority of posters being regulars. so i treat them as such, i toss in my two cents now and again but until i start making connections with people, i tend to keep to myself. once i feel a part of the community, i open up more and allow some emotional involvement. till then though, it's kinda like talking to the locals while on vacation--i'm polite but if you don't like what i say, oh well, not like i'll ever see you again anyway.
chat rooms are a little more anonymous imo. people come and go so quickly that it's less about having a community. so there, i tend to view conversations more as entertainment and not introductions for something more.
blogs are like letters to the editor in the local paper...
i guess i feel the internet is what you make it. pretty much anything you are looking for can be found here, whether it is an answer to a question, a friend, a romance, a job or a few minutes of entertainment. what i'm looking for dictates where i go.
i have friends i've known for years that i've never met in person, but still consider them to be very good and very real friends. we've exchanged phone numbers and addresses. we swap christmas presents and birthday cards through the mail. if we lived closer (instead of opposite ends of the country) i'm sure we'd visit regularly as well.
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