'Net Manners

I know this subject has been broached before, but I'm not complaining about anyone being rude or anything like that. It's more that I'm curious. The anonymity one has online has been said to make some people think it's perfectly acceptable to act like asses in a way they wouldn't in person. Heh. I think the opposite is true in my case. Since I can't see a person I'm interacting with, can't read their expressions or hear their tone as they speak, I tend to be nicer online than not. Maybe even to the point of being annoying, because it's too easy for someone to misinterpret something that's meant to be a joke, or... anything. I've seen people get mad about the weirdest stuff. Added to that, whatever you put down into written, typed, or texted word is THERE. It can be blasted across the 'Net or whatever, whereas with the spoken word, not so much-- unless someone has one of those cool little recorders. Yes, I do, but only because I used it in college lectures.

Anyway, I noticed that I am much more cautious and less likely to joke around online. In person, I'm hardly ever serious for long. In person, if someone gets snarky with me, it can quickly spiral downward into something that it shouldn't-- that damned touchy temper of mine-- and something that more often than not I end up regretting. Usually. Sometimes. Probably not as often as I should.

So, I'm curious; are you different online than in person? Do you think that it's a good thing, or maybe not so much? I'm not talking morality in any way, shape, or form, but just whether or not you notice that you say/write things that you maybe wouldn't if you were speaking to someone in person.