How open are you about your life here?

This is very much a response to Nalin5's blog....sorry if I've stolen from his...What I've meant to do here is question WHY we come here, and to find out how much we hide it?

Hmmmm....maybe I should have just pasted my response to Nalin5 here :-)

Even among my closest male cronies, I'd never dream of letting on, let alone spilling my guts to others about it. Even if society generally condoned this type of activity, I probably still wouldn't blab about it because I reckon sex is something very individual and personal: a bit like having haemorrhoids :-) I mean you wouldn't go around telling that to all and sundry, would you?

I certainly don't get a "thrill" from secrecy: I'm just glad I was born in an age where technology has allowed humans to open a new dimension in their lives. As my old grandad used to say: "When I was young, all we got was a tweak of the elastic" :-)

I have always had a fascination with alter egos and as such, absolutely love the fact that I have a fully formed secret persona that nobody in the 'real' world knows about!

And as Skebbie says, if it wasn't for the good old interweb, my female self would probably never have had the chance to flourish in the way it has.

@justjay.....yes, I did arrive here by accident and spent a lot of time having fun and figuring out exactly why I'm here, but that's not the case any more. It was an honest question...how much do you keep hidden? In an ideal world, I'd be as open about my sexuality as I am about my depression, my struggles with my kids, and the work I do, ie, as part of my life in general. Since we don't live in an ideal world, and most would shun those of us who chose to follow our sexuality in "alternative" ways, I simply wonder who and how many among us are as open as we wish to be. Most of my own family and friends would be mortified that I am not as traditional as them.

im a shy person, well, im not an outwardly confident person in any way and i keep things personal so i dont share this site, my sex life or anything like that with my mates and close friends and family.
but heres the funny thing, i can openly share my personal and private life with people on this site without fear of judgment. im far more open and find it easier to talk about stuff to a screen or avatar. i think thats the main appeal for on sites like this.
i havent met anyone off this site before but i have made quite a few friends on here who i get on well enough with and trust enough to share secrets with. i know they wont judge me and if they do, so what i dont know them in close circles.
but no matter how much fun it is and no matter how much i would like to share this site with people whom i think might benefit from it in real life, i wont. i wouldnt have the confidence to say to any of my friends about this place.
thats sad in a way because like someone said earlier, this sort of thing is still taboo to some and will always remain that way i think. even normal internet dating is 'mad' for some. no matter how innocent you intentions are on here, it still is sneaky, mysterious and exciting. its not the norm and we all know it - and as you all know, that is half of the appeal :)

You know it just occurred to me... In the same way that I wouldn't reveal my female persona to any of my 'normal' friends in the outside world, I would also never reveal any part of my 'normal male' persona within this site either!

A thought-provoking piece, dear Aphrodite and I don't think there is one definitive answer. I for example arrived on this site courtesy of something which arrived in my spam mail. and my curiosity got the better of me.I am delighted to say that I have engaged with some very nice people, including your goodself but not felt the need to involve friends from the wider world. I suppose it boils down to the reasons why a person remains on this site.For my part,it is because I enjoy the conversation,banter and the occasional encounter.
The best analogy I can draw on is playing rugby.For most of one's life, one conforms to a certain accepted behaviour pattern,but license is given for a short period, to go out, act like a hooligan and kick over the traces.I'm not saying I behave like that on here,I hope I don't, but it is therapeutic to be able to express oneself in way s which one would not, in the normal daily round and common task, be available.
Personally I don't analyse this very much but take pleasure in the friendship,fun and relationships which one develops.

No one from our ' real' life knows we are on here, I am not ashamed of our ' lifestyle', however just the same as I have other things in my life I do not share, it is something I prefer to keep quiet, mainly for the sake of my children from my 1st marriage, I am sure they would not want to know what mum gets up to, and would prob have a very hard time dealing with it... and the reaction that would come from my ex hubby... well that is reason enough on its own for me to keep it a secret.....