Blog-friends and Anonymity

As a blogger, don't you sometimes feel like you know the people whose blogs you read? Or that you get a real sense, and therefore a connection to your commenters?

I know I do.

I realize that you can't really know someone based on their blog. But they certainly aren't a complete stranger to you. I guess they are kinda like an acquaintance.

Being the kind of person that I am, always looking for new, real connections, this blog world can sometimes be very confusing. Especially as an Anonymous Blogger. Sometimes I forget that my blog friends only know Aileen, not me.

Friday night I was with a date that took me to Fogo de Chao, where I ran into a fellow DC Blogs contributor Arjewtino with his girlfriend, Princess. We've never met, and I almost forgot that fact. I almost approached him with a big, familiar smile saying "Hi! How are you?!" when I realized he would have absolutely no friggin' idea who I am. So I had about a split second to decide how much I care about my anonymity. I decided that since it would probably seem just a bit weird and creepy to say hi anyway, I would hold on to my secret identity.

I have "outed" myself to bloggers in the past, and it hasn't always turned out too well. Sometimes the online connection feels much stronger than the reality. When I befriend someone in real life, it's possible there are things written in my blog that I wish they didn't know. And sometimes the person is so very different in real life. So there's a bit of a risk.

Having said all that, I'm still attending a blogger function this Saturday. While I am very much looking forward to it, I do feel a bit cautious!