When I was a child I once went around telling people I was an orphan. I'm still not quite sure why I did it, but I must have wanted to have people sympathize with my situation in some way...or perhaps it was the burgeoning actress in me that wanted to try on different roles to see reactions to them. I don't know for sure, but I do think there are many of us who have fantasized what people might say about us when we die, or more simply when we're not around to hear them. I just found that in the chatroom it's possible to use an option that says we're away but still lets us see what others are writing. I bet I'm not the only one who thought it might be interesting to see if I could catch them talking about me...and I'm old enough to know better!

Perhaps this was at the core of the more elaborate ruse this woman played on unsuspecting friends and aquaintances. I agree with those here who have said that the internet is a place unlike all others. It's both real and unreal at the same time. People are able to create entirely new lives for themselves (my gay friend has posted the most incredible photos of himself on one website, which are most certainly NOT himself..but insists that it's all part of the fantasy we're allowed to pursue online with no one the wiser).

I'm glad that mudcat has a profiles and pics page, but the truth is that even then we have no assurance that we're being told the truth. I don't want to become so wary that I automatically distrust all that I read and see on the net, but we have only to try to follow a news story through different sites to see how many possible slants and how much misinformation is already out there to know that caution is only appropriate.

Nevertheless, I do tend to trust the folks around here, even the ones I know who log off and log back on with another name to post things they'd rather not be associated with. The level of deceit is relatively low and lacking in danger to anyone, but it shows that there are few of us who don't try out some form of other-than-completely honest behaviour, even as adults. Poor woman-I hope people said nice things about her. She obviously needed to hear it..xx..e