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>and due to the fact that online community is new to me. Those of >you with more vast experience, I am interested in learning, does >digital life ever evolve to the richness of face to face community? >If so, can you tell stories of the circumstances? yes; one example is [faces] (http://www.faces-l.net/comm/), an online community of women in new media; women on this list regularly meet face-to-face (hence the name faces) at festivals & conferences around the world. i've met a number of [faces] on my travels, & have ongoing email relationships on & off list. "putting a face to the name", even if you don't see that person again for years or ever, does deepen the connection when you are communicating via email. through my own cyberformance work, i've met several people after knowing them first as online avatars. i'd known adriene jenik online for about a year when i went to stay with her in san diego, but i didn't recognise her at the airport because she was *tall* - in my mind, she was short, definitely shorter than me. this was because she often used a squat avatar, & looks a bit like a friend of mine who is shorter than me. it was a shock to discover she was tall! ; ) i collaborated online with karla ptacek (in london) for a year & a half before we met. it was an incredibly easy meeting, as if we had always known each other, & she was as short as i expected her to be ; ) since then i've stayed with her & her family frequently & feel very much at home there : ) leena saarinen, who is another member of avatar body collision, lives in finland & i have yet to meet her, although we've been working together for four years. i have some friends who practically never email or call but when i see them it's great. i have other friends who i never see & it's all conducted over email - & it's just as great. the cocktail party analogy is true for some situations, but it's also possible to develop & maintain strong relationships in cyberspace. for me, variety is the key. h : ) -- ____________________________________________________________ helen varley jamieson: creative catalyst [log in to unmask] http://www.creative-catalyst.com http://www.avatarbodycollision.org http://www.writerfind.com/hjamieson.htm ____________________________________________________________