At Salon, Toni Telfer has an article about the Internet and loneliness. Is the Internet a refuge for lonely people or does logging onto the computer take us away from other activities that would make us less lonely?

My philosophy about blogging and the Internet in general is Real Life First. I say yes to all social engagements or as many as possible. If I have to choose between a diner date with neighbors or participation in an online thread about gerrymandering, I choose the diner. If those priorities are kept in order, then the Internet is a great place to form a community.

When Ian first started having problems, I had to turn to the Internet for answers. When I was stuck at home and missing academic discussions, there was the Internet. In those cases, I had unique problems and unique interests, so I needed a larger sample size than my community to get answers.

In a few cases, online friends have become real friends, because we live close enough to meet for coffee. Some of my real life friends appear in the Apt. 11D comment section. The lines aren’t that clear anymore.

I think pretty much everybody here understands the “Real Life First” rule. This debate about virtual communities versus real communities was a bigger deal about ten years ago. Robert Putnam had some bits about this in his “Bowling Alone” book. It was funny to see this topic brought up at Salon again. I wonder if it is a real problem.