Relationship through Technology - Unity

If you aren't the same person from one website to the next, how can anyone develop a relationship with you? The internet has an intoxicating sense of anonymity. It's tempting to be a different person online than you would be face-to-face. You might be more vocal in an argument or you might use different language than you would in person. Whatever the case, you are being a unified person. You are presenting one aspect of your personality on one site, another aspect on another site and still another aspect of yourself in person.

Instead, work toward unity. Be the same person online as you would be in person. If you wouldn't use certain language in real life or you wouldn't argue a certain way, then don't do it online. One way that you can nudge yourself this way is to use your real name when you sign up for web services and to use a recognizable picture of yourself. This picture is the one that I try to use across all of my online presences. That way if someone finds my blog and then they find me on Facebook they can know it's the same person.

Because I try to be unified online, there are things I just don't post. There are comments I don't make. Even though they go through my head, I self-censor. My online personality is a public thing. I try to avoid saying anything online that I wouldn't say to a crowded room of acquaintances.

Unity of personality online is difficult. It takes effort and discipline, but the result is deeper, more-real relationships online.