Seeing how 2ch helped Densha Otoko makes me remember how you guys encouraged me to do stuff as well, and the good times I've had here in general. Perhaps nothing related to really big life decisions like in that story, but in the very least this place is ideal for blowing of some steam, or share things I'm excited about that other people may find boring.
Some people say that online people don't count as friends. I'd disagree. Having real life social contacts is very important, because humans need social interaction to train their social skills, and forums don't cut it. However, the great advantage of forums above real life social contacts is that I can tell you guys anything without feeling ashamed. Can't do that with real life friends, even my most close ones, when it comes to some things.
Which brings me to the following point:
Bowei, you post too much. Stop posting that much, it affects the amount of free time you have which will have negative consequences, since you could spend your free time doing something productive.
I never really poured my feelings IRL. I don't know why; maybe as the eldest of 5 siblings, I have to look strong for the fam, since I'm the shining star. That's tremendous pressure in of itself, and to explain that to someone else face to face is... daunting. Sure I never really bare myself here since I designate this as the "being dumb as bricks" place, but on the Diary Thread... I've done way more emotional discussions there than IRL.
That's on the more personal side, and on the more casual side, even then I still have a few masks for RL compared to the internet. Heck, now that I know graph is reachable IRL, I don't know how I'll act in front of him.
Friends on the internet are still friends, despite what others may claim. They share rage, joy, sadness together, and maybe more so than IRL friends. While anonymity usually is portrayed in a bad light, in this case, I feel that anonymity serves a nebulous, positive purpose.
