Hi Bodge!
The whole assumption that someone must be putting on an internet persona to be different on line to how they are in person is a little wrong.
I will freely admit to assuming some people would be a certain way in the flesh based purely on what I interpreted from their posts- not taking into account any other mitigating factors such as personal relationships kept private and on going feuds or fites that affect their attitude towards others.
You cant keep up a fake persona long term, it just doesn't happen. The fakest person I know of hasnt posted on bl in ages and was a butch lesbian pretending to be an absolutely gorgeous man (American). But she was a great person otherwise, and really did want to live the life of a man- and this was perhaps the only media she could do so with relative ease. Her sex was total lies, but her warmth and intelligence was not.
I get all sorts of people wrong: its not them putting on a fake persona to appear "nice and friendly and understanding" or "total arrogant cuntswipe", but its my own interaction with that person that brings out the qualities that define that person- in person or on line.
Its you that would judge someone on line to be different to how they actually are. I do that all the time and luckily most times, I like people I clash with on line in the end, and dont care to recall the people I have liked better before I met them :D
Id safely say that the person Im glad I bit the bullet and got to know despite clashing a couple of times on line was r2mix, as hes just awesome, despite a stupid skirmish that was ages ago. We weren't wrong about each other- both were cunts to each other that day, but that overshadowed his funny and laid back friendliness he had with other people. Because he and I did not have that same thing going on, I just thought he was a prick! But he isn't. Much. :D
I dont bother trying to interpret people by their on line personas anymore, its only important realy if you are planning on 3D meet ups or whatever, and Id much rather meet an on line character that is true to themselves than a fake overtly nice/ trying to be popular type person any day.
Or better yet, just keep the two separate completely. :D