I've got friends IRL who roleplay, so we do talk about it sometimes, but it's generally not something I'd talk about much in public, given the hugely nerdy nature of it all :P
You're clearly not feeling the requisite amount of shame that you're supposed to feel for posting on this board.
The last thing I want to have is roleplayers for friends. The internet is a creepy, sick place that I want as little to do with outside of my computer as possible.
Theren, that was very well written and spot on. The biggest problem the people have who get really involved in the supposed romantic internet relationships (besides being delusional) is they convince themselves that they're in love with the other person's mind, regardless of what the rest of that individual is like, even so far as their general personality and mannerisms. You'd be amazed at how quickly desperate people can convince themselves that for the sake of a few shared interests and some good conversations they can make a lasting relationship from it.
As a person who has had to deal with a perv to the point of almost having to involve the authorities, I know first hand that some people just cannot handle a friendship, or having someone be nice to them, then be able to realize there is a large difference between that and someone wanting a romantic relationship. On the internet, that line gets even blurrier for people who are already having a problem with that sorta thing. Nine times out of ten the people who are on the net for the sole purpose of hopefully finding love will find it any where, even if they have to pursue someone within the parameters of a gaming community. That way they can pretend they weren't looking for a romantic interest when they happened to find one.
On the flip side, I also know it's not impossible for people on the net to become involved, but of the 5 couples that I know who did so and forged a permanent relationship, none of them were looking for romance when they met in person. Of the two people I know that are online actively looking to find a partner there... well, let's just say none of those have turned out very well. While some people see the internet as just another dating arena, I think they've deluded themselves. You cannot possibly gauge how a person will make you feel unless you've met them face to face. Some of the more delusional people I've met online who don't believe that's true have been teenagers who seem to think that if you meet a person that you can successfully have sex with, then that person is fit to have a relationship with.
Also, I get the distinction Samantha is making too. Just because you make a friend on the internet doesn't mean that person can be any less valuable in the terms of friends than those that you know in real life. Hell, sometimes the people you talk to online can be better friends than folks you know in person. They can't borrow your crap, come over when your busy, and if you don't feel like talking to them you can go offline. Depending on how you meet them you already know you have common interests and sometimes they'll be more open and honest with you than the folks you meet every day. What do they have to loose? You can't find them to tell their secrets to the folks they really know. While the net can be a really harsh place for the people who can't hang out there and keep their senses about them, it can also be a very cathartic place where you can cut loose and say the things you really wished you could say when people do stupid things in front of you during the real day.
