dude?

dudes! I'm spazing out! (what else is new?)

anyway I was talking to the people I'm going to be traveling with to FRFF and well... they got me to thinking about what its going to be like meeting people for the first time in real life... Teri says its going to be UBER weird... and since it would be weird for a socially capable person whats it going to be like for me?! I already have a knot in my tummy... will it really feel like the twilight zone?

Last year was my first time at FRFF and also meeting people for the first time that I had been talking to on-line via the Dar-Chat and the Dar-List.� While there was this initial weirdness...it quickly turned into coolness.� I'm generally not a very sociable person to begin with in unfamiliar situations (even if there are a couple of people that I know), but this was different.� It was fun for me placing Screen Names with actual people and then chatting with everyone.� Everyone was so friendly, relaxed, helpful, and laid back...it made my experience at my first FR wonderful.� I look forward to meeting more people for the first time in the flesh (mainly from FHDC), including you, Zil! There will be some big friendly hugs waiting for ya, I bet. :)�

Hey it's us, not total strangers. We'll make you feel welcome.

Hey Zilpha

Being out here on the west coast and hearing about all the frutripping and stuff that people were doing I thought it was going to be really wierd meeting people irl., feeling left out because everyone would know each other already mainly. (btw, the event that I am refering to was a party at RacerMike's house) But the cool part is that everybody seemed exactly as they had appeared online. And you already know so much about them its not like meeting strangers.

...And then a while later I got�longdistance romanticly involved with another fruhead that I met here (well actually on irc) and we've been married 2+ years now. :-) Blah,blah... anyone not heard this story? So anyway, yeah...don't sweat it. You will have a good time if you relax. There are some pretty great people here.

There are some pretty great people here...

.... and some scary ones too, but we try to either beat them away with a big stick, or make them plan a Frucon before they get to meet anyone IRL.��

(hee hee)

~J~

i'm so glad you brought this up, zil - i don't know anyone who's more socialy inept as me, and so i'm shit-scared of what'll happen when i finally do get across the pond and meet all you guyses. yikes.

Okay, since I'm the one who started this, I'll try to expand my answer(s).

FIRST, a little story:� Once upon a time, way back in the day, I was really into IRC.� (For those who have never heard about it, suffice it to say that it was a very addictive and primitive real-time chat medium.)� I chatted with a lot of different people from all over the place, as is typically the case with chat rooms.� I ended up chatting with an individual with a nickname of daGooch.� Chatting led to phone calls and THAT led to one of those "internet relationships."

Bruce and I talked on the phone for hours every night.� I knew this man inside and out -- or so I thought.� The first time I met him IRL, it was incredibly awkward.� Imagine, if you will, that I had already agreed to marry the man.� I knew how he portrayed himself online as well as over the phone.� But in person?� A bit different.

Fortunately for him, it was an okay different.� :)� I had a friend go with me to a neutral location to meet Bruce in person for the first time.� Once Bruce was in my dorm, ALL of my friends descended upon the room.� I swear, they came crawling out of the woodwork.� Being good friends, they made absolutely sure that Bruce wasn't a psycho before they'd let us be alone for even a minute.

THAT was a good experience.� (I married him.)�

A different experience involved meeting other people from the same chat room.� Bruce and I went to�a "meet the chat room" party in Chicago shortly after we'd met up in person for the first time.� There were people I was dying to meet�- they were SO cool online.� Turns out...some of them were downright creepy.� Word spread quickly amongst the women in the chat room as to which men were to be avoided.� I found that someone I'd trusted very much online was, well, smarmy.� Yicky.� Think "dirty old man" and you get the picture.

The point I'm making is THIS:� many of the people you will chat with online portray themselves truthfully online.� When you meet them IRL, it's just like catching up with an old friend.� There are people out there, however, who let you see what you want to see.� Try not to be afraid of this - just be aware.� Be smart.

Meet in a neutral location WITH A FRIEND.� If it works out, great.� If not, no harm done.� (FYI - so far, all of the people I've met at FRFF have been cool.)

-Teri, aka Wintress