IRL - random train of thought

Two*True

When Nesties use the term IRL what do you think of?  Do you think "hey this is RL?"  Everytime I use the term I stop and think, "but this is real."

K and I had an interesting conversation yesterday about my board posting and online friends.  I explained to her that this is no different than the pen-pal I had in elementary school.  For all I know the person writing me letters could have been a 90 year old man, just like on here some posters could be completely fake.  I told K that after posting on the boards for several years one really does get a feel for what is real and what is genuine.  I know there are ladies on here that I would probably never be friends with if we lived in the same town and that's okay.  I still like reading their stories and posts even if I know we have nothing in common.  And there are others on here I think I would have a blast hanging out with.  That's neither good nor bad, it's just like our daily lives.  You get a sense from a person, whether phone call, face to face meeting, or message board posting and we make a judgement as to whether this is someone we want to welcome into our lives.

I guess my ramble is just meant to tell you that from this side of the computer screen, this is real.  The Nest is part of my RL and I consider many of you friends (whether we've met or not).

 

ETA: I'm referring to this board exculsively.  It's more a general ramble about all Nest/Bump users/posts.

2brides

L doesn't get the whole message board phenomena.  She is a bit more trusting of it since there is a group of DC Knotties who all got married about the same time (5-6 years ago) and we spun off onto our own private board. There are about 40 of us that are active and many of us have kids of the same ages and have met many times off of the boards - happy hours, dinner, playdates, etc.  L has come with me to some of the playdates (and even met one member when she had a work meeting) so she is more understanding of it - especially since it is a closed (non-public) board. 

She would never participate in a message board (I think it is a combination on her personality and age) but thinks I come away with some good information sometimes.

ctbride08

I agree.  Even though i will occasionally use the expression "IRL", the boards are definitley part of my real life.  In fact, you all know me better and are way more in touch with my daily goings-on than some of my face to face friends. 

Andrea will never full "get it", but now that she's met a bunch of you and a handful of people from my local, she has come to realize that the friendships built are real.

Two*True

2brides:

She would never participate in a message board (I think it is a combination on her personality and age) but thinks I come away with some good information sometimes.

That's K exactly!  She is supportive of the boards and we've talked about them many times, but last nights conversation just took some fun and interesting turns.  She has met a handful of the SSH Nesties as well as a bunch of the locals but she still thinks we're an odd cult

Mrs._F

I think when I see "IRL" I think of it more as "IPL" - In-person life   I also feel that our board community is very real to me, and feel that I've developed friends here.  Whenever I use the term "IRL," I'm referring to people I know face to face, can call on the phone, and get together with for lunch, you know? 

Like when I've said that C and I don't have many IRL friends who are going through some of the things we are (home saving, baby planning, etc), I mean people that we see and hang out with in person.  That is a different thing than friends you can talk with online.  I've been fortunate enough to meet some people from this board that have started to become in-person friends, which is great!  There are internet friends, in-person friends, and some who are both  

But it's all my "real life," and I think I am the same person here as everywhere else.

bluedaisyus

Two*True:

2brides:

She would never participate in a message board (I think it is a combination on her personality and age) but thinks I come away with some good information sometimes.

That's K exactly!  She is supportive of the boards and we've talked about them many times, but last nights conversation just took some fun and interesting turns.  She has met a handful of the SSH Nesties as well as a bunch of the locals but she still thinks we're an odd cult

c too, lol!

2brides

bluedaisyus:

Two*True:

2brides:

She would never participate in a message board (I think it is a combination on her personality and age) but thinks I come away with some good information sometimes.

That's K exactly!  She is supportive of the boards and we've talked about them many times, but last nights conversation just took some fun and interesting turns.  She has met a handful of the SSH Nesties as well as a bunch of the locals but she still thinks we're an odd cult

c too, lol!

 

Although sometimes I may tell a itty bitty white lie about where I got the information "someone at work was telling me..." - well, I do tend to be on here at work.  

Duchess1

I use IRL when posting, but to me this is 100% real. S knows all about you and what's going on in your lives. I tell her all the time I wished we lived nearer to most of you. It's nice to have the connection so many of us do.

JoySeattle

I agree with nearly everything posted. While I know other SSH and even some that are in the pcp/ttc phases, I feel that these boards allow me to  read about the experiences and discuss my own in ways I wouldn't "IRL."

berriesnpie

When we were planning the wedding, E was pretty skeptical of my knottie and indiebride love. But right before the wedding we had a get together with some DC folks, and she really loved them. So I think that pulled the message board into "RL" for both of us. Pre-wedding, I really loved getting to know people through the board, especially b/c I didn't really have bridemaids or family to plan with. It definitely helped remind me that my marriage was real, even if it wasn't legal or supported by everyone in my life. I'm glad I finally made it to the Nest board b/c I think the Nest fills a (married, female-ish, qu33r) niche in my friend network that I wouldn't have otherwise.

cookiemonster03

C is pretty skeptical of my nest love, but i really enjoy sharing and learning on here. I have gotten more amazing TTC info here...

thiswillbe

I feel like you are all "real" friends of mine. I was just thinking the other day about how it's been years now that I've "known" you. I do feel that the support and encouragement we share on this board is genuine. I am glad it's my internet home.

ctbride08:

In fact, you all know me better and are way more in touch with my daily goings-on than some of my face to face friends.

This is 100% true for me. Especially now that we're ttc, and aren't sharing that info with our "IRL" friends!

berriesnpie:

Pre-wedding, I really loved getting to know people through the board, especially b/c I didn't really have bridemaids or family to plan with. It definitely helped remind me that my marriage was real, even if it wasn't legal or supported by everyone in my life.

This is also true for me-- the affirmation was really nice as we were planning our wedding, and it definitely helped me feel less isolated.

On a semi-related note, it is interesting now that Sylvia has been on SSH a little. Before, I would occasionally tell her about something that was discussed on here, but now we have full conversations about who is doing what and how things are going for people on here. It's cute because she always uses people's Nest names, whereas I know most people's real names and tend to use them in conversation with her. I need to make her a cheat sheet!