by Ceinna Childers

Created on: May 25, 2009   Last Updated: May 26, 2009

Imagine this: A perfect stranger walks up behind you, taps you on the shoulder and introduces themselves. They tell you their name, age, address, marital status, occupation, hobbies and introduce you to their spouse and children all in one fell swoop. Difficult to wrap your mind around? Now imagine them wearing curlers in their hair, mud mask on their face, fuzzy bunny slippers on their feet and their birthday suit on their body. Now tell me, is this someone you'd pursue friendship with?

That's one of the advantages to meeting people and forming friendships on the Internet. It's common and perfectly acceptable (even encouraged) for people to introduce themselves giving all their basic biographical information up front. The openness is unparalleled in face to face meetings. Another advantage occurs when physical attributes are eliminated from the equation. What a person looks like or wears doesn't factor in to whether or not we accept them. On-line we never know they're naked in curlers with mud on their face and rabbits on their feet unless they tell us. We don't know if they drive a car that's falling apart on one that's brand new. We don't know if they live in a shack or a mansion. We don't know if their hair has all fallen out from chemo or if it's purple and pink or if it's a creation of the most sought after stylists in the world.

The Internet allows people to be their true selves without the common social barriers that eliminate them from our friendship in face to face meetings. Whether we like to admit it or not, certain people turn us off based solely on appearance. We make judgments based on their clothes, size, style, smell, etc. Many of us would never approach someone with raggedy clothes or dirty hair or rotten teeth. Many of us would never approach someone driving a Lexus, adorned with jewels, and every hair in place. We all make these split second decisions and are either drawn to or repelled by people accordingly. The Internet does away with all that and provides a level playing field for everyone.

The anonymity of the Internet allows people the freedom to more completely share the intimate details of their lives without fear of judgment or rejection found elsewhere. While there are those who use the Internet to create faux selves, overall it's been my experience that most people are sincerely seeking support, encouragement, compassion and friendship in the area of their common need, interests or struggles. Bonds are formed far more

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