This week was Identity Week in the Internet Research and Theory seminar. We read Turkle, Van Gelder’s “The Case of the Electronic Lover,“ and Herring’s “Gender and Democracy in Computer-Mediated Communication.” I was thinking about friends whosplit their blog identies among multiple blogs, and wondering how much my blog is a reflection of the actual me. I thought it was pretty accurate until I asked Mister Husband, who misheard me and said, “You’re right, it’s nothing like you.” After I clarified myself, he burst out laughing and refused to discuss it any further. A couple of other people have given me the same general reponse.

Frankly, I’m sort of mystified. This space is definitely a filtered or censored version of Kristaness, but I think it still bears a reasonable resemblance. The main difference, I think, is that a lot of my acerbic side is edited out. (One of our emeretus professors has a theory about all rhetoricians being professional cynics. He himself was the official Department Cynic for 40 years.)

I’ve been idly pondering it for a few days, and this morning I ran across Dr. Crazy’s Johari Window. The application lets others indicate which traits they associate with you. It would be fascinating to find out what you folks who don’t know me IRL think I’m like based on what you’ve read here, so I set one up. If you only know me from reading me, or if you know me but only from a brief meeting at a conference, I’d love it if you’d go over there and click a few boxes. Tell me how in the world I’ve been coming across here, won’t you?

This offer necessarily excludes MIster Husband, Logie, and Clancy. And my parents. In the nicest way, of course.