Sitting here thinking about the topic, I'm wondering to myself, "How can you answer such a question when the term personality has such a broad and ambiguous definition?"

Try not to go that deep though.

many of the people i've met have been more awesome than expected. some have been less awesome (but a small percentage that is.)

i have been told i am exactly as i appear.

Interesting. A higher percentage of awesome.

some people were radder, some people were nicer, others were fucking LAME FRONTERS BAAAAAAAAHHHHH

hopefully I am the asshole tenderoni I appear to be online as well as off.

you will always be my asshole tenderoni.

Aw, what a nice sentiment.

I think it depends on the person. I don't think I'm a different person online than I am offline, but I don't really meet innernet people very often so I don't really know.

I'm way more shy offline, but that wears off pretty quickly, and only in certain contexts.

I'm more shy offline too. Except it doesn't tend to wear off very quickly.

there seems to be three levels/stages:

1) people whose persona is basically the same as their IRL personality (which, more or less, is me)

2) the people whose personality may be somewhat heightened on line, exaggerated in some way. but at its core, you can see them for who/what they basically are.

3) those people who choose to adopt a completely different persona, for one of any number of purposes - being "different", being noticed, being creepy, being sexy, being mysterious, being more powerful/popular than they may be IRL, and so on.

the last has always sort of baffled me - i get it, certainly, but it holds no real appeal to me. Like, let's say, coming online to be a troll. to me, that's boring and a waste of time. but then, people who are assholes are pretty much my number one pet peeve IRL, so it stands to reason...

but i've met some people who clearly come into the online world to be "The Great and Powerful and Super Clever" person, when if we were to whip the curtain back, Oz-like, it would most certainly reveal them to be just as insecure and restless and curious and looking for that which is elusive as the rest of us.

though, i realize that's slightly reductive, and some people do it "just cause they can" -- and there are, indeed, people online who are so dumb, and inane, and facile, and gullible, and self-righteous that they deserve some roasting from one of these personalities.

Really well, actually. Though I only *really* know two internet people.

pepper is one of those interesting people. i have never met her, and i know her persona is certainly a part of her job, which is a part of her life. and i have no idea what may be heightened or not, but from moment one, she's a person i might've assumed would be all flashy and sassy and rawr-y, but everything about her seems to pretty much mold into one persona, which i reallly kinda dig.

i'm sure there are many many secrets to tell, but it's like "yes, i do shows and have fun, but it's all a part of who i am, i'm not More Pepper online and Jane Smith off of it." or...maybe i completely read Pepper wrong? what do i know...

i should also note that that seems easier said than done -- to have a persona, be unique, yet honest and true and "just yourself" all at the same time. and she, and a few others here, pull it off well.

thanks garak! i was told by my best and oldest friend recently that the last 3 years (during which i thought i had "changed") really just served in making me more me.

i just can't keep up pretense. it's hard to be someone else! i'd rather be me. all shiny and loud and exclamation pointy!

I get uncomfortable at the idea of meeting internet strangers, but the few times I've done it I felt they were as awesome as advertised.

All of you have interesting contributions. Especially Garak who I'm guessing has thought about this before. He should publish a book on it for real. It will be called "Internet Psychology" and it will have a witty subtitle which I don't feel like coming up with at the moment.

Unfortunately I've never met anyone IRL who I'd met online first. Now I want to.

I think most of these profiles only represent ONE aspect of a person (if what's being shown is even really an aspect of a person.)