Why am I surprised?

So here's a funny thing. okay, so not funny, just an observation.

I've been mucking about with online social *stuff* for a number of years, after Jenny & I spent time in New Zealand and wanted to keep in touch with home. But it's really only been about 18 months since something clicked in my brain and I really got interested in what's going on.

On a personal level, I love the interaction, sharing life with people and being able to formulate an idea in words & pictures. From anywhere. But only if you want it.

Why do I enjoy sharing my life - it's not the most interesting, but it's what I've got and hopefully being alive online is helpful for others too. It seems that being connected online (thru a social network, reading friend's blogs, following people's flickr streams or coonsuming their tweets) fosters a greater level a understanding between us. At least for me it does.

Why? Because I understand a little more about the way you see the world.

This has been in my head this afternoon as I found myself in a (real world) meeting when someone I don't know other than thru LinkedIn asked how my daughter was. Then, later, @CRayDancer referred to her as babyB.

I was a little taken aback. Why? I track the traffic on my blog (thanks Google Analytics), my flickr photostream, my mobile pictures, my twitter links etc etc. I think it was the crossover to the real world (that I don't get a lot of as I don't get the privilege of live *real world* conversations with them very often. (by the way, it's one world, just different expressions of it!)

Anyway, it felt good to know that people understood some of my back-story before we spoke.

If anything it means I don't have to repeat myself!!

And what about you - do you get much cross-over between the different expressions of life?

Please share your views here!