I recently met, in the flesh, a fellow who has posted on Forumosa. It was quite a weird experience to have this barrier removed. Someone who could then freely go and read my posts and check out what sort of a person I am. That I might meet him again one day, and be judged by my words here.
Who knows other posters in person? Cos apart from that one experience, I am alone alone on Forumosa. And I think I’d like it to stay that way.
I know just one active poster and one once-in-a-blue-moon poster.
I need to be careful not to make fun of those silly Matiz cars or he might beat me up when he sees me in person. 
I wouldn’t like to know too many people in the flesh. I could know them, but I wouldn’t want to tell them who I was. Someone could read through all my posts and find out a heck of a lot about me. I would find that a bit creepy especially if I had only just met someone.
I wouldn’t want to reveal my identity at a Forumosa happy hour for example. Firstly, some psycho with a grudge might stab me (I’m only half joking). Secondly, I’d have to keep track of all my truth stretching. “Ah yes, my Porsche. What Porsche? Oh THAT Porsche! It’s being serviced.” Actually, I never truth stretch. If I got busted I’d lose all credibility.
Patterson - can you change the thread title to something like, “How many Forumosans do you know in person?” As it stands it doesn’t make any sense…“Taichung (Taizhong) City represent” indeed! Cuckoo cuckoo!
I know A LOT of the posters here - especially the Taipei posters. I think Taipei is a fairly small community anyway - I’m pretty confident that if I don’t know a foreigner here, a friend of a friend will. (Is that 2 or 3 degrees of separation?) It’s a good thing in that I tend to post a little more responsibly than I would have if I didn’t know anyone.
Porsche, Spack? How passe. 
I’ve got a Bentley Continental GT. 
Back on track,
95
Forumosans 
I have met in person:
Alien, Alleycat, alleycat’s wife_jenny, amos, aprimo, Big Fluffy Matthew, Bu Lai En, braxtonhicks, Buttercup, cainman, Captain Shannon, chainsmoker, Christine, chung, Closet Queen, comazona, cranky laowai, Dahudze, dalyn, Darkchild, dassgrrl, Deco Orient, elektronisk, fee, Feiren, Flicka, Fox, Fred Smith, Fuzzy, Gus, HakkaSonic, Hartzell, hexuan, Holg, huang guang chen, ImaniOU, Iris, ironlady, Jack Burton, JeffG, jefflocker, jidanni, Juba, lanastraw, LazyMF, lcgdella, Linda Arrigo, Lol, Malcolm, marct, miltownkid, Mindcrime, momphard, monkbucket, Mr He, Mucha Man, Muffin, Nam, Noodleboy, offpeak808, Okami, pabro, panda, pinesay, Poagao, Prospector, Quirky, Rascal, Richardm, roseha, salmon, sandman, Saucey, scooter, ScottSommers, seanmccormack, Sharky, smerf, Southpaw, Steven Chiang, Stewart Pendous, stragbasher, Taitodd, Taverncaptain, Tetsuo, tigerman, timogan, Tomas, TpeBob, twonavels, Viba, wasabipeanut1, wcflex, williameldrum, wolf reinhold, and X3M.
There are others, but they won’t reveal their online identities to me. 
Who-hoo! That’s a lot! :bouncy:
I’ve met half a dozen forumosans. I can’t understand why someone would be embarrassed doing so - in my opinion, if you are not willing to put a face to your posts, then there’s no bloody point in posting.
I have a lot of respect for people like Brian Kennedy and Big Fluffy Mathew who post using their real name.
Eh, what is wrong with a Matiz?
I know chung very well, and have been hiking with a few of the regular posters, such as Maoman, Sandman, Timogan etc.
Have run into: Zot, Jlick, MT, Alien, Cranky laowai, MaPoDurian, alleycat and a few more on different occations.
I know / have met 5 and talked with a few others on the phone.
I’ve met and enjoyed the company of: Gus, Maoman, Tigerman, Sandman, Hexuan, Bu Lai En, Alien, Flicka, Okami, ImaniOU, Basher of Strags, Fuzzy, Richardm, Juba, Jeremy, Huang Guan Chang, Two Navels,38, Wipt, and maybe a few more of y’all.
Let’s not forget Popo, whom I did meet, but certainly did not enjoy the experience.
And I met someone who knows Tomas, but haven’t we all?
A LOT!
Forumosa has become a top place to meet new friends.
I was in Alleycat’s not too long ago with colleagues and saw at least half a dozen Forumosan pals. In fact, every time I go to Alleycat’s I see Forumosans. It seems Alleycat’s is the most reliable Forumosa stomping grounds there is, although several other places in town turn them up regularly as well.
I met another delightful 'Mosan IN THE FLESH last night.
It’s lovely to actually meet you guys and Forumosa poses an instant bond and topic of conversation.
Although there are lots of petty squabbles and irritations here, Forumosa has become quite a cyberworld of intimacy. I believe the difference with this board and others of the same ilk, is the fact that our cyber locale (for the most part) has merged with physical locale in order to create a metalinguistic context that diminishes the constraints of “cybergap”.
Know what I mean?
Put non-linguistically: There are some ‘shyer’ Forumosans who don’t know the others here like I do since they’ve never been to Happy Hours or are particularly social within the community. These are the ones who tend to hold animosities toward other members. I’m always saying to each side how lovely this poster or that poster is in person, but how differently they come across on here. There’s a PHD in this.
Start with Goffman.
You’re missing out if you don’t meet some of the posters here in person.
Some of the best people I know in Taiwan post here. You want to stay anonymous? Your loss.
Maoman, you seem to have met most of the major players here. 
I’m curious, what is the ratio of say, the Caucasians to ABC/CBC/xBC types? Where do the majority of the people hail from? If I had to guess, I’d say US, UK, and Aus. And what is the ratio of men to women?
[quote=“Tomas”]You’re missing out if you don’t meet some of the posters here in person.
Some of the best people I know in Taiwan post here. You want to stay anonymous? Your loss.[/quote]
I second that. Unfortunately, I have been so busy I haven’t had much time to to go to the happy hours, but I surely recommend them.
I don’t know the ratios, but there are more whites than non-whites, more men than women, and more Americans than anybody else. Lots of Canadians, Brits, Ossies, Kiwis, and South Africans, and a smattering of other European nations. Very few posters (can’t think of any) that are not from a “western” country. All of this seems to be pretty reflective of Taiwan’s non-contract worker foreign population demographics.
Noone so far seems to want to admit it, or have wiped it out of their memory, or just didn’t know, but some people here have met me.
In the Biblical sense?
[quote=“Maoman”]I know A LOT of the posters here - especially the Taipei posters. I think Taipei is a fairly small community anyway - I’m pretty confident that if I don’t know a foreigner here, a friend of a friend will. (Is that 2 or 3 degrees of separation?) It’s a good thing in that I tend to post a little more responsibly than I would have if I didn’t know anyone.
Porsche, Spack? How passe. I’ve got a Bentley Continental GT.
Back on track,
91
Forumosans I have met in person:
Alien, Alleycat, alleycat’s wife_jenny, amos, aprimo, Big Fluffy Matthew, Bu Lai En, braxtonhicks, Buttercup, cainman, Captain Shannon, chainsmoker, Christine, chung, Closet Queen, comazona, cranky laowai, Dahudze, dalyn, Darkchild, dassgrrl, Deco Orient, fee, Feiren, Flicka, Fox, Fred Smith, Fuzzy, Gus, HakkaSonic, Hartzell, hexuan, Holg, huang guang chen, ImaniOU, Iris, ironlady, Jack Burton, JeffG, jefflocker, jidanni, Juba, lanastraw, LazyMF, lcgdella, Linda Arrigo, Lol, Malcolm, miltownkid, Mindcrime, momphard, monkbucket, Mr He, Mucha Man, Muffin, Nam, offpeak808, Okami, pabro, panda, pinesay, Poagao, Prospector, Quirky, Rascal, Richardm, roseha, salmon, sandman, Saucey, scooter, ScottSommers, seanmccormack, Sharky, smerf, Southpaw, Steven Chiang, Stewart Pendous, stragbasher, Taitodd, Taverncaptain, Tetsuo, tigerman, timogan, Tomas, TpeBob, twonavels, wasabipeanut1, wcflex, williameldrum, wolf reinhold, and X3M.
There are others, but they won’t reveal their online identities to me.
Who-hoo! That’s a lot! :bouncy:[/quote]
Mao, I think I can beat that 88. Just can’t remember everyone.
But by far my favorite is Big Fluffy. 
Oh, we are naming names now, eh? I’d do the same thing, but then I’d be tempted to go into hyperbolic detail about how great everyone is, and you’d all want to throw up.
I’ve met five people whose user names I know. I’ve met two others who I know post here, but I haven’t figured out their user names yet. The problem with knowing who someone is, is that when you actually meet, there’s less to talk about - you know all of his or her stories already.
Too bloody many? Uh, no, no, that is… not nearly enough! 
I’ve met some lovely people from Forumosa. It’s always interesting to see ‘real’ people apart from their cyberselves - it’s really quite a different experience. I would read the Goffman stuff, Alien, but the reality is more interesting than the theory, especially if it’s all going to be written in that style
Has anyone ever met another 'mosan after knowing them first on the boards, and then felt let down, or worse, thought they were a dick? It must have happened. It must have happened the other way round too - that someone they thought was a dick actually turned out to be a splendid chap or chappess in the flesh. Needless to say, no one needs to name names on this one.
Bassman, I’m teasing you about the Matiz. It may be small but it’s perfectly formed. Besides, some of my best friends drive a Matiz - and you’re one of 'em.