Do people think you're weird?

[annscraps]

Do people think you're weird when you try to explain your participation in digital scrapbook forums? I never know how to explain it. Sometimes I'll say - "My friend was saying..."
and they will ask who I'm talking about and then I go into a long explanation and they look at me like I'm a nutso hermit that has no life!:laught16:

Am I alone here?:character0051:

[Laura M]

No -- especially if I am talking about a fellow scrapper and refer to them as a friend.

Now, my family has learned to accept that a lot of my friends are online because in-real-life, I would not have the time to give them as I can towards my On-line friends. Hope I make sense here.

When your raising kids, although I could give mine to a free home right now, working (home (FT Mom too) or outside the home), and doing a million things to keep your family on track ... it's impossible to do things with your real life friends. I will try to do something at least once a month, but I talk to my online friends more than that.

Scoot over, sitting next to you on the weirdo couch. Got any popcorn, um and pass the Diet Dr. Pepper, k?

[melrio]

Hey...I got CHOCOLATE! Anyone wanna come sit by me?!?!? I even try to explain to my family and they have to remember whether or not 'my friend' is IRL or in 'DigiLand'! LOL

Yes, it is hard to explain but the one person that can relate to me is my father! He participates in an online model railroad forum and some of his friends are online. Who would've thought that me and my dad could finally understand each other!?!?!? :laught16:

[annscraps]

I think my biggest hang up is explaining it to my IRL friends. Yeah - they think I've flipped my lid - whatever!

Someone pass the popcorn and give me a chunk of chocolate - I need a pity party!

[bderby]

I do think that they probably do! Of course, before I got involved, I probably thought everyone else was a bit weird too! Of course, I try to suck everyone into that I can! :)

[mzkellyb]

I get the same reactions! I'll be telling someone about something I read, non-scrap related and they'll ask who said that or where I read it. So then I have to explain, well, I was on the forum for the scrapbook stuff and I read it there. A couple of my good friends I talk to more online than IRL just because of time differences and whatnot - but it's definitely weird to explain to DH, my SIL and a few friends who don't do much online but check their email.

[cherpea]

Oh lordy yes... my hubby struggles to figure me out most of the time!!!!! So what hope do RL and digi friends of figuring out what goes on in my head!!!!!!!

so no you are definitely not alone and I so know the "are you weird or what?" look!

[Charla]

Oh yeah! Make room for the preggo on the couch :giggle:
My DH understands perfectly, and my mom is active on various forums, but DH's family has no CLUE. I have to try to speak in non-internet-ese (not saying "oh, I started a thread about ____" or "I read a post that______" because those are foreign concepts to them)
The funniest thing was on Facebook, though. I had the "circle of friends" application, and was trying to come up with categories for all of my friends. I had a "people I haven't met" category and had a miserable time figuring out which friends I've actually met!! So many of my online friends are closer friends than my IRL friends, they've gotten completely blurred together!!! It's a good problem, but a strange one at the same time!

[dst212 (Daniela)]

Awww, I don't even mention the internet part of it anymore... I've been pretty involved with online communities for 2 years now and my family is just getting to terms with the fact that I've made great and real friends online. They think it's funny when I get a chance to meet an online friend in person (and I've been lucky to have that chance quite often) and I come back saying that it was just a continuation of our online talks, that we know each other so well, we just hadn't have a chance to meet face to face.

To my real life friends, I don't really get into detail, but they know internet is a big part of my life, and a very important one at that. If it wasn't for it, how would I have survived 2 years in London?

[gonewiththewind]

Man, this is gonna have to be a really big couch! :laught16:

I have to admit, I was one of the ones that was like . . . "hmm, guess they can't make real friends" BEFORE I became involved in the online scrapping communities. I used to say "my online friend" but then that started sounding weird, so now I just name the person and that they are my friend and go from there. But yup, I get those looks like, poor girl. She's staying at home all the time now and she can only make friends online.

Which is so not true, I have girlfriends and we get together and have play dates with our kids, but having the free time to go out or go to dinner - well, that just doesn't happen anymore at this stage in my life.

And, I really have to admit, having online relationships is the best. I'm really able to be me, and not concern myself so much with what I look like or clothes I'm wearing or anything like that. I can just be honest and true to myself. And that's really refreshing!!!!

[d2vasquez]

awww sorry you feel that way....I have been online doing "this" now for almost 4 years so the "weird factor" has kind of gone away, especially since I have met some of them IRL. It is not uncommon for my family to ask how my digi friends are and surprisingly they actually know who is who.....

[sassynsweet]

Maybe we need two couches :unknw: lol, I have the same problem, having three young children and a husband, full-time job, and a list of other things on my to-do list, there isn't time to go out and party with my friends. I have to admit though I really need to get better at staying in touch with my IRL friends.

[Laura M]

Nope our couch is big enough for all of us. Someone please pass me the chocolate and I think I need some peanut butter. Yummy! Reeses would be perfecto! I will share...

Scarlett -- did I ever tell you that when I graduated from Roger Williams with my degree -- Tony Curtis was there and I got to kiss him. So in essence my lips have been on the face of the man who made out with Vivian Leigh -- at least once. ;)

[crazygirl]

this is so funny..
it used to be really weird to me..
but i'm with darla.
i've been involved here for 3 years now. and met quite a few online friends IRL.
but at first.. it was like i was leading a double life..
one online and one offline.. it was the weirdest feeling.

now, my family and friends know what i do and even recognize some of the names i'm constantly talking about.
but i love my life and i love my friends!!!

[TeresaP]

Tal is used to it now :) I usually throw the name in there and just go about it like they should have online buds too! :) It is funny though...I would have been the last person I would have ever thought would have friends through the computer! :)

[kelleighr]

It is SO funny that this is a topic here today. I was talking to my mother-in-law and mentioning, "I have a friend who . . . . blah, blah, blah" and "All my friends are pregnant right now!!" That kind of thing. She had NO idea who I could be talking about because my IRL friends are not preggo. I don't even bother explaining, though!

And, I just have to say that I simply LOVE TDC. Seriously. This is the BEST community out there! You guys are my friends!

[1girl1boy]

oh i definitely get the looks but then again my other friends aren't into srapping (even paper) so they look at me strange for scrapping period! :rofl:

my family thinks it's great and i've even converted my sister to digi!

[jenbalding]

yeah...people don't get it until they DO it...I've just started saying "I read....." and going on :)

[gonewiththewind]

Nope our couch is big enough for all of us. Someone please pass me the chocolate and I think I need some peanut butter. Yummy! Reeses would be perfecto! I will share...

Scarlett -- did I ever tell you that when I graduated from Roger Williams with my degree -- Tony Curtis was there and I got to kiss him. So in essence my lips have been on the face of the man who made out with Vivian Leigh -- at least once. ;)

That's so cool - one that you met Tony Curtis - and two that you were that close to Vivien Leigh - in a sense anyway! :good:

[jjstar]

Such a fun thread! I think I've had online friends for so long that my family doesn't even think about it. Over 5 years ago I went to CKU and they encourage the attendees to join 'dorms'. So I was on their MB and joined a group. About 7 of us starting chatting online daily. A few months later I went to a crop with them and the very first day that I layed eyes on my friend Kelley I stayed at her house. Since then we had a business together (scrapbook retreats - which we sold earlier this year) and we talk daily (sometimes online, sometimes on the phone). It is funny when DH tells people how I met my business partner.

If it wasn't for my online friends I never would be able to survive living 600 miles away from all of my family and friends. (I have made some IRL local friends since moving 5 years ago but I've said it before that if I had moved 10 or 15 years ago it would not have turned out so well.)

[nicoleseitler]

When your raising kids, although I could give mine to a free home right now, working (home (FT Mom too) or outside the home), and doing a million things to keep your family on track ... it's impossible to do things with your real life friends. I will try to do something at least once a month, but I talk to my online friends more than that.

Oh my gosh! YES! Right now the only friends I can manage to keep up with are the ones who can wait 5 minutes for me to type out replies to them on message boards. I love that I can get up and handle things with my kids and come back here later to chat... and no one gets mad at me for that! No one knows I'm a scatterbrain. :giggle: I DETEST talking on the phone right now when my kids are so young and so distracting. :laught16:

[Charla]

I'm so right there with you, Nicole. I can't figure out how I ever talked on the phone, but it really does have to do with the kids being young! I love that I can start typing out a reply, walk away and get the girls more Grape Nuts, and come back to finish. And no one yells at me for leaving them hanging!!
(now when I do that on IM they're a little less understanding...:giggle:)

[nicoleseitler]

That's why I don't hang out on IM--that and the fact that I can't anything done when I do! :giggle:

[gandcsmama]

Save me a spot on the weirdo couch. I sometimes think that my online friends are better friends...my IRL friends rarely remember to ask me about anything I have going on, but my online friends do. I agree with Cheryl (gonewiththewind) I can be myself and it doesn't matter what I am wearing or if I have even gotten a shower in today (which I have btw)!

[annscraps]

See what I like about this - I'm sitting right on top of Nicole on the weirdo couch and she doesn't even care. IRL she'd care....oh trust me...she'd care :rofl:

[melrio]

See what I like about this - I'm sitting right on top of Nicole on the weirdo couch and she doesn't even care. IRL she'd care....oh trust me...she'd care :rofl:

:rotflmao:

[nicoleseitler]

:giggle:

[marianneh]

oh you guys crack me up!!! probably because all the replies ring true!! :) for me, being FAR away from home, my online buddies are there, 24/7 and the move here would have been much harder without my forum friends!!

[lmccandless]

The great thing about this thread is now we know we aren't alone in our weirdness. :giggle:

My family and my IRL friends don't really get it most of the time. My DH calls all of my online friends my "virtual" friends, which makes me feel a bit like Big Bird before everyone on Sesame Street got to meet Snuffy...anyone else remember that??
Meanwhile, I think my mom's eyes glaze over whenever I talk about my digi-friends. It doesn't matter to me though, I have made some great friends online. Although I talk to some of them on the phone now too, I haven't met any IRL yet. Plans are in the works and I am soooo excited about it. For now though, I am happy on the big ol couch here at TDC!