I love the internet. (I also refuse to capitalize it, like Blogger spell check insist that I do. (And yes, contrary to the evidence, I do occasionally use the spellchecker... when I remember.)) Like where else could I find these glorious Simpsonized versions of the Battlestar Galactica characters? Apparently quirkybird first drew this fantastic Six and Baltar and then went off to draw the rest of the cast. (I love her many faces of Boomer, but I think her Starbuck is too chunky. Kara Thrace is buff and tight, not some lesbian mechanic.)But the internet does offer a dangerous sense of security. It feels like a wonderful void into which you can throw all of your thoughts. And it seems like if you aren't direct, how can anyone ever distinguish that it is you or that anyone you right about will ever find it if they don't have something specific to search for. i mean, there is so much out there. So much to sort through.
But the fact is that even with so much out there, it is very very easy to find exactly what you are looking for with just being creative with your search terms.
Subconsciously I think that is why I really don't hide my identity. I don't use my real name, but it would take about five minutes to figure out who I was, even if you had no idea what name to look for and had absolutely zero "hacking" skills. Just click click, there I am. I don't know, maybe that is what makes me careful. Because god knows there are times I wish it was totally anonymous. There are thoughts I had, things I would love to share with anyone who cared. But I can't. If, say I hooked but with some random person and it was fun and airy and was the first time I hooked up with no consequences and both of use seemed absolutely fin and dandy about just letting the one night be the one night, I couldn't. Because I know the consequence of said post would lead to thoughts and questions of others and remove all airiness from the event.
(This is totally a hypothetical. It is the best best case/worst case scenario that I came up with.)
I would be easy to think I was private and save. There times I have had to think twice about posting something, knowing it could be misinterpreted, like saying I had a crush on Ellie Kemper. But I just have to hope that it is taken the way it is meant (an improv crush is not a romantic crush, and, besides, everyone has a crush on Ellie Kemper).* It is appealing thought. But no matter how private and untraceable you think it is, it isn't.
And I like being found. It is nice to be remembered and searched for.
Anywhozits, I understood this, but didn't full know it until recently. As they say on Hill Streets Blues, "Be careful out there."
*Note: This is a blatant attempt to drive web traffic. "Ellie Kemper" is the third most searched term on my site, after "MIT Zelda" and "German spray-on condom."
