Jennifer, I think one of the things I loved about you from the moment I met you was how openly accepting you are of people being exactly who they are. (And yes, I agree it's oddly liberating to reveal important parts of who we are with people we hardly know.)

daisy17, it's great to see one of my favorite twitter buddies getting in on the conversation here! :) What you said about wanting your updates to be real is spot on: "real isn’t always happy or easy. Real is sometimes irritated, annoyed, or frustrated." Your story about your waxer cracked me up—somehow it's definitely more a twitter-appropriate story than FB, though. You're right, there is a difference because of the audience.

Patrick, you are too kind. And I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who over-thinks these things regarding message, audience, nuance, etc. etc. Sheesh! This is especially funny: "Do I want to just post what I am doing, how I am feeling, etc. OR should I post something hoping to generate feedback and create meaningful discussion? Why shouldn’t those be the same? Am I that boring or self focused?" I can really relate.

Kathryn, welcome! You point out perfectly how important the balance is. Negative tweets/updates might unknowingly belittle what others are going through, but it works both ways—displaying your so-called shiny happy perfect life for everyone to see can result in a whole bunch of people feeling incompetent and bad about their own lives.

Jenx67, I thought you might like this post, since you were right there with Chuck in the FB status banter. :) The potential for a FB community to become one big sensational gossip factory is huge, especially when it comes to the tough things in life, like divorce or losing a job. No one needs more "friends" like that. (But coffee some day with you? Most definitely.)

Daisy, I haven't heard much about Plurk. Sounds interesting. (And by the way, I have never once thought you overdid it on Twitter. It seems to me like you're being your wonderful self!)