So in my methods of social research class we have to design our own research project.
Mine is going to be on online social networking, how it has changed and how it is changing communication or causing alienation in the non-virtual world. And possibility how lines between reality and virtual are becoming blurred.
It gets a little more complicated than that, but that is the main idea anyway.

So I was wondering if yall could answer some questions about online experiences. Can email me or find me on aim if you don’t feel like sharing. I won't use any of this in my paper, I just want to see how people feel and if my ideas have any basis.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?

Um yeah. You don’t have to answer all of them… but it’d be pretty cool and a big help to me.

Thanks~

_________________

The lovers, the dreamers, and me.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
I was nine or ten. My family got AOL Dialup. I knew nothing about computers at the time, and browsed around some aol pages. I was mainly attracted to chat rooms, and was fascinated with the idea of talking to other people through them in real time. I discovered AIM shortly after this.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)

Messaging, random browsing. Now I've used it for everything from E-mail, text, BBS communication, web logs, a little bit of web designing, gaming, and well downloading media; movies, music, etc. (i.e BitTorrent, itunes, etc.)

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
I can only guesstimate. I imagine up to 21 hours out of a week now.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
Facebook, livejournal, myspace. I go for days, sometimes weeks without checking these.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
Profile is a start, but is only relevant to my interests, and does not reflect the the depth of personality.

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
Based on certain choices in favored media (books, music, movies) and politics I can imagine what 'kind' of person they might be and whether or not they or myself would drive one another to murder. Also if politics or faith-based choices are posted this can influence my opinion of the person.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
I would consider it. And I have not met anyone irl that I have met online.

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
As much as I love some of you, I can only hold a fraction of value towards those I know only from online (no voice/video chat, but again still not as much as irl omg).

How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
Firmly grounded, but quite detached for other reasons.

_________________
Retired 8/21/06
Don't click this link.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
I started using the internet around 1991 (I used Windows 3.11) One of my first memories of the internet was seeing "Chat Rooms" in Microsofts old portal program. I thought it was very cool to talk and meet people living on the other side of the world.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
My first use of the internet was to use chat rooms and visit website like places. I was an early adopter of the internet so things were pretty different and the internet wasnt "the internet" as we know it now. I use the internet now more as a tool than anything else. I

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
Oh dear god. On average 60 hours a week. (90% of my time online is because im stuck behind a computer at work for 12 hours a day 2-5 days a week)

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
I dont use any social networking sites.

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
No. Its human nature to exaggerate and indulge. Even if the person is trying to be honest, its pretty easy for them to give a fake impression unintentionally. Most these websites just spawn these type of people. They create their own persona for everyone to see. They select the music the want people to think they like, they take pictures that they want people to see.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
Yes. I met Mikey. Im not a fan of meeting people online, but its a part of the future. I really think that people will use the internet more and more as time goes on to meet people.

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
I have friends I value who I met online. However, I have known all my other friends for longer so I would say they rate a little higher. Nothing to do with online\offline, just that I have known my other friends longer.

How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
I read\watch the news every day. I visit my friends at least once a week. I spend 90% of my time with my girlfriend who I live with and I visit my Parents and dog once or twice per week. The internet plays a large role in who I am, but that doesnt mean my whole life is the internet. I know and understand what is and isnt real.

_________________
COBRA KAI DOJO NEVER DIES
RIP Shiloh

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
around 1994, tried compuserve, i remember thinking the internet was weird, it was some program with lots of little miniwindows that took like 10 minutes to load up. later we got AOL and i used chat and "you've got mail."
What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.) at first, mostly chat. i liked to chat about philosophy mostly. i even saved some of my conversations from 1996. now i use it primarily for school, also playing chess, and stuff like email, traffic, weather, news.
On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?maybe 1-2 hours a week checking email or posting on this forum
Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them? facebook. i dont use it much. maybe 10 minutes a week.
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are? bare minimum. it does but i didnt do anything fancy.
Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?sometimes
Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?only 1 person, who i met through AOL in 1996.
Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?yea
And finally, How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?now, i feel connected. i have tons of irl responsibilities. but ask me this question 2 years ago, and i would say i feel like ffxi is more real than real life.

_________________
RIP Shiloh - I'll never forget ya

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
The first time I used the internet was in my highschool network in grade 8 (1993). We were told to use it to gather information for an assigned topic. My topic was butterflies.
What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
I didn't use the internet much back then, it was relatively new and most people didn't even have access in their homes. The only reason I used it was if I had to in school. Now I use it to keep in touch with friends and family, research things, browse forums, pay bills, entertainment, etc.
On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
A lot... I keep in touch with all my friends (from school, work, gaming and my community) and my family through email, blog and im.
Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which?
I use myspace.
How much time do you spend on them?
Depends on that particular day. I usually check/update it in the morning before the kids wake up or while my daughter is napping.
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
I try to post a blog at least once a week. I also like to update my layout often. Yeah, it's me. lol
Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
It depends on the person. There is no way to tell if they are who they say they are. So, in general, no, not really.
Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
I have never met anyone irl who I initially met online. It's hard to say if I would. I don't think I'd go out of my way to meet anyone, but if they were in my area, I might think about meeting up for lunch or something.
Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
Yes, I'd say I value some of my online friends a great deal. More than irl friends? No. But the friendships I've made are still important to me, nonetheless.
And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
I am very connected to reality...lol. It's pretty much impossible for me to escape it with two kids, a husband, a mortgage, job and bills. :P

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
I believe the first time I used the internet was to look up Rugrats on the AOL browser. That was probably about 1995.
What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
Browsing, finding information, chatting, gaming
On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
Quite a bit. It depends on if I'm in school or not or how busy I am, but yeah, alot. Quantifying it into hours would be too difficult though.
Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which?
No.
How much time do you spend on them?
N/A
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
N/A
Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
No. The internet is full of lies.
Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
Besides people I already know from real life, no. To the question of whether I would, it all depends on the person.
Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
Probably not. Not to say I don't value them.
And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
Connected enough, I think.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
My family was always a little late on new technology. We got the net in 1996 I think, I remember making a yahoo profile called "nir12vana" and using it in chat rooms.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
Then, as a teenager: chat rooms, email, looking at my favorite bands' websites. Now, in my early twenties: school (until I recently graduated), email, forums like this, news, information, communication.

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online? 2-3 hours through email, forums, social network pages. I haven't used an instant messager type program in quite a while, mostly because all my friends kept changing their screen names and I could never keep up.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
I use myspace a lot, maybe 1-2 hours a week, and facebook a little, maybe 5-10 min a week.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
I don't update my profiles much because I like the way they are. In a very basic way it represents me.

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
You can get a good idea of a person's personality through their profile, most of the time.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
No. But, if any of my friends from FFXI lived close enough to visit, I'd probably hang out with them.

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
Nah.

And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
Pretty connected atm, but sometmes online games tend to take over my life (FFXI, Diablo 2, etc.), so I've gone through periods of my life in the past 2-3 years where I've felt disconnected. I don't play online games much anymore because of this.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
It was AOL version 2.0 Dial-up of course. This was in 1994 I think, I was using it to chat and download small game demos. Went to PC Gamer part of AOL alot.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
Gaming for a while was it. Doom on Dwango, Quake, Starcraft, Unreal Tournament, and all sorts of other shit.

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
Probably at least 18 hours.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
Nope.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
N/A

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
Of course not.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
Already have met MM, Galindar, and Evilyn in real life.

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
Not really, I have known my RL friends much longer so I know them better.

How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
Extremely connected, I can't really escape it enough as it is haha.

_________________
Eternus Ifrit Server Atariii LS member
75 BRD with a bunch of subjobs

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?

Think it was on Prodigy in the early 90's, just sort of checked weather and played really really bad games and looked up info. for school projects lol


What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)

The then is mentioned above.
Now: I used it to get news faster than others, school projects, download and hear songs, generate ideas on work I'm doing, to share ideas and opinions, as well as used it in the online gaming community such as this one which sometimes you guys seem like better insight than the individuals in the room with me (sometimes :P), current plans are to use the net to generate income partially from the album I've been working on!

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?

Maybe 3 hours daily, not sure. I'm not sure but I know it's cutting into the time I watch television. If you calculate the avg. # of hours people use the TV that's how often I am online, the internet is the "new television" to me. It keeps my brain working and plus every time I watch TV seems like nothing is really on it.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?

Myspace, not a lot lately as far as page development, been using it as a kind of personal messenger tool to follow leads in music business.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?

I plan to have a giant profile to better market me lol, maybe it'll get more interest then, but I know stage shows and product is what makes artists, oh yea and deals lol

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?

I'd say semi-accurate, you can see who their friends with, how adept they are at technology, and also if they're an attention whore or not, but I can imagine a few people may live out an alter-ego type personality online for shits and giggles, I don't have time for it, but I'm sure someone out there's doing it.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?

I have yet to do it even though I've talked to people that literally live near me (within 25 miles) in ventrilo. I'd be willing to do it but I must warn you, you must be over 18 to meet me, preferably over 21, being rich and attractive helps too :p

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?

Since I haven't met anyone online in person to count or add them in as a real life friend I will say no, however on certain occasions I have hung up the phone on IRL for friends online or in-game but in the social pecking order of the long run IRL friends > online friends

And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’? What's real anymore?

Seriously, very connected, even more-so than those in the real world, I see people that go to work and come home and live as zombies, they don't hear about the world events, hell I'm not even sure if they caught what the weather outside their own home is gonna be like tomorrow sometimes. They aren't "living," they're just surviving. By being plugged into virtual reality I stay current on a lot of things, I would even venture far enough to say it makes me a more interesting person socially. However, let it be known that I stay fairly balanced with my existence online and my existence outside the computer.

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?

1995, when my dad first got 56k.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)

Video game cheats at first, then now video games and email mostly.

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?

If MMORPGs count, then 48h. If not, I guess like 3.
Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?

no

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?

no

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?

yes

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?

more than most of the time

And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?

too connected

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?
I think that I first started using the internet regularly in about 7th grade to talk to people that I was just meeting in middle school.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)
In the beginning, I mostly used it for talking to people I knew from school. Also porn. These days I mostly just whore these forums and I ghost at Something Awful because I don't have a credit card to buy an account there. Also, homework and porn.

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?
It used to be a higher amount, but I don't think I spend more than say eight hours a week tops.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?
No.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?
N/A

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?
To an extent

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?
Probably not

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?
There are some people that I know online who I value more than certain people that I associate with in real life; but I don't value any internet companion more than one of my real friends.

And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?
Define 'reality' ZOMG!

_________________
-

When did you first start using the internet, what was your first experience?

Around 1992-93, when my dad got a 28.8k modem.

What did you use the internet for then and what do you it for now? (if your only answer is PORN then skip this question.)

I used it mostly for chatting (pretending I was an awsome 16 yr old!) and getting video game cheats at first. Now: forums, chatting, email, showing off my photos and art and downloading media.

On average, how much time a week do you spend messaging, chatting, or doing some form of communicating online?

More then I wish to count. I spend more time chatting on AIM then anything else internet related.

Do you use any social networking (facebook, livejournal, myspace, okcupid, etc) sites? Which? How much time do you spend on them?

I signed up for both Facebook and Myspace about 2yrs ago, but never checked either since.

How much time did you spend on your profile and do you think your profile represents who you really are?

If you include making my many sigs i've gone through, probably a good 5hrs. but on actually typing stuff in, like 5mins. I think it accuratly shows some of my interests, and maybe a tiny portion of my personality, but in no way does it show me entirly.

Do you think accurate judgments could be made about a person based on an online profile?

I think people are much to varied in how they wish to depict themselve on the internet to make any judgement at all. You could judge some to an extent, but so many people use false identities, that you can never know if you're accurate at all.

Would you or have you ever met someone who you met online in real life?

I have not, but I would definitly be willing to meet someone I have met online.

Do you have online friends who you value as much or more as friends you know in real life?

As much? a few. More? No.

And finally,
How connected do you feel to ‘reality’?

I used to be worse, I would refuse to leave the house sometimes. Now I spend alot of time online, but I'm never going to say "no" to going out. I try my best to atleast take a good long walk every day if nothing else.

_________________