Meet Rebecca.*
Behind her Twitter avatar there's a tired mum of three, working part-time who loves cooking, cinema and reading when she has the time.
Rebecca knows you, she's read your blog and gained an insight into your life. She likes you. Talk to her on Twitter and she will quickly tell you that she has been awake half the night - her youngest has chicken pox, her house is a mess and she has a pile of ironing to do.
We can relate. Rebecca is one of us.
Or is she?
Meet Richard.
Behind the twitter avatar there's a single twenty-year-old man. He doesn't have three children, he doesn't work part time and he hasn't been up half the night looking after his youngest with chicken pox.
But Richard still knows you, he's read your blog and gained an insight into your life. He likes you. And he is talking to you on Twitter where he likes to be called Rebecca.
Richard doesn't really know you, nor does Rebecca. All they know about any of us is what we have chosen to put out there on a blog, on twitter, in the public domain.
And all we know about them is what they have chosen to put out there about themselves. The facts might not necessarily be true.
Blogging is great fun, so is twitter, but do tread with a little caution online. We can never be completely sure who is reading and who is following us. In real life, would we want to glance over our shoulder and see them there?
Worth thinking about, isn't it?
*This is a hypothetical example.
