experiencing the social part of social media

Posted on By Wil

I spent much of today going through last night’s post comments, and making sure that people I’d inadvertently blocked on Twitter were unblocked.

But, uh, the thing is … after going through about 250 links, I’d only actually blocked three of them. Everyone else was “just in case” or something like that. I thought, gee, maybe I didn’t make the instructions for finding out if you’d been blocked clear enough.

But the other thing is, I ain’t even mad. Because I did that today, I saw a couple hundred real people’s faces, and got a tiny little glimpse into what all of those people have been doing with their lives. It made me feel connected in an unexpected way (it put the “social” in “social media”), and though it was time consuming, it turned out to be a nice way to take a break from doing actual work.

And it gave me an idea: Why don’t you introduce yourself to me and other WWdN readers?

Leave a comment in this post that tells us a little bit about yourself, if you feel comfortable sharing that sort of thing. Don’t post personal stuff that could be too revealing or hurt your privacy, but maybe share your first name, if you’re married, have kids, what sort of work you do, and maybe something that you like.

The idea is that, when you see the actual, real, human person behind a screen name or twitter handle or whatever, it’s a tangible reminder that we are all people on the other end of the connection. We’re people with families and jobs and hobbies and passions and hopes and fears and we all live on the same piece of rock, hurtling through space.

Of course, you don’t have to do this, and I can’t stress enough how important it is that you protect your personal information, but since I enjoyed the social experience of feeling connected to actual humans, maybe you will, too.

Or maybe you won’t. I’m not the boss of you.

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Comments (1,054)

  1. I’m real, even though SkyNet jacked my Twitter avi. Automation and advertising has soured me on most social networking, so I greatly appreciate your efforts to humanize your interactions online. I’ve been following you on the Twitter machine & read your blog now and then. My name’s Teresa Hawk, my hubby is a huge TNG fan of yours, but has no online presence. I write funny stuff. I read funny stuff. I listen to you read cool audiobooks to me. We live in the desert near Vegas, and just wanted to say, “Howdy, Wil, and thank you for all to do.”

  2. Hi, I’m Felix. I’m 36 and I work as an English and German teacher in, well, Germany 🙂 I got to know Wil through TNG and have been reading his blog for about 6 years now.
    What might be kind of interesting about me: I was an audio engineer before I became a teacher. I’ve even worked with Lionel Richie once, got to know Mike Oldfield and a few other musicians, more famous in Germany (no, not the Hoff) than abroad. I studied in Limerick, Ireland, for a year and became interested in making short movies there. So I’m totally behind this “be creative, make something – attitude” that Wil has mentioned so often. Take care, Fx

  3. I’m Al from somewhere in the midwest. I’m a children’s librarian, and my husband and I saw our first child today at our 12 week ultrasound.

  4. I’m John. I’m married, have a beautiful and brilliant nine-month-old daughter, and I’m a school speech pathologist, which means that about 30% of my work day is spent playing board games with kids (and I blog about this when I have time).

    I was lucky enough to play a game of Takenoko with Wil at GenCon2013, and he humble bragged about winning by one point when he signed my copy of the game.

  5. Hi, I’m Chanie from MD, 35 yo voiceover artist/SAHM of 2 (usually) adorable human kids and 3 (working on 4) feline kids. My husband is a software architect and we’re really looking forward to when the kids are old enough (1 year and 3.5 years right now) to start our own Tabletop night. Also looking forward to being able to play D&D again.

  6. I’m Stacy, a massage therapist in MD. Married to a weirdo husband with probable ADD. No kids. Cat named Gringo with emoticon smiley face markings on his sides.
    Low-profile nerd until someone mentions Star Trek, YouTube, or LOTR. Then it’s on, sucka.

  8. Hello. I’m Scott, I am a software engineer and would love to do more work in radio broadcasting or other verbal media. A face for radio as they say. 🙂 I have a wife, two sons, one daughter in law, three dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree. Sans partridge and pear tree. I’m a conservative guy that does not understand people who equate having appeared in a science fiction program as not having a right to an opinion. We don’t have to agree on things to be pleasant and/or respectful to one another. I’d much rather focus on things that people have in common rather than dredge up reasons why we should hate each other. Believe it or not, one can discuss opinions on politics & policy without being nasty! This is probably why I am not a mega successful talk radio host. Maybe someday I’ll be willing to sell my soul. I hear it can be worth millions per year!

  9. Well okay then! Hey, I’m Joanna, and I’m a gamer. I’m married to a lovely guy (also a gamer) and we’re hoping to add a cat or dog to the family in the next year or so.

    We met through our university games society and watching Tabletop is a weekly event for us. The Fiasco episode had a huge impact on me – now I play indie tabletop RPGs all the time and I’m part of an amazing community in London, England that supports gamers and game designers around the world.

    Happy holidays to you, and I hope you and all the people you work with get back as much joy as you’ve spread out into the world!

  10. My name is Christene but many call me Deena. I’m married to a wonderful guy, Anthony. We have normal boring jobs but what we are really passionate about is food. We are competitive BBQ and Chili cooks and do other food competitions for example, we recently cooked at the World Food Championships. We love board games and regularly watch table top. We love it! Have a great holiday and a happy new year.

  11. 40-ish,mMarried, two kids (both of budding tabletop gaming age), middling manager, going to school for my bachelor’s. I started reading your blog a couple years ago, and find it to always be a good read. We share the same loathing of the latest default WordPress theme, which makes us best pals (okay, no, but the theme still sucks).

  12. Hi! I’m Sarah, 33 year old from Chicago suburbs. My husband loves tabletop gaming and I’m a Lego fanatic. We have a 4 year old son and another on the way.

  13. OK, I’m game. Hi all, my name is Karyn. I live in a coastal town in Australia, and I’m a sysadmin working for an environment and materials chemistry lab. I have a cute as hell daughter who just turned one, a heavy metal musician boyfriend, three cats, and a sun conure.

    I’m a lifelong fantasy nerd with a secondary foray into scifi, and in my youth I tried a career in the fitness industry before failing due to excessive introversion. I still like weightlifting, cycling and paddle boarding, and more recently pole dancing as well. I love piercings and tattoos and I have dreadlocks. I’m vegan, I do cross stitching, and I knit replica Tom Baker scarves for people. That’ll probably do. Hallo WWdN waves

  14. Hi Wil! I’m Veronica, a 30-something work-from-home Information Security Manager with a boyfriend and three cats (yes, you CAN have both!). In my spare time I’m either training in triathlon or geeking out over everything from Marvel to Star Trek to Lord of the Rings.

  16. Wow, what a diverse group. I’m Sheri, and I’m a Registered Dietitian for a large, urban school district in the LA area. I have a wonderful husband to share my life with, and we very happily have no kids. I love to cook, hike, and travel the world. I’m also a Monkey 🙂

  17. Hi Wil! I’m @arithered on Twitter, and I’m a 30 year old Jewish guy from Brooklyn, NY. I also follow you on Reddit, so to speak, though I have never uttered the famous Wilx3 incantation that summons you and thus I cannot speak to its efficacy. I share a deep love of tabletop games with you, though I can’t brew a beer to save my children. I tend to think of you by your actual name as opposed to the character you portrayed in TNG. I LOVE that “Riker Googling” account on Twitter, though.

    Uh, that’s it. I don’t think I’m blocked.

  18. Oh, how neat! Such a neat variety of people/stories/occupations so far! Very cool to ‘meet’ folks like this 🙂

    I’m Mary, I’m American, and I’m married to an Englishman. I’m a visual artist and writer and I live in North Carolina with my husband – we’re both space geeks. We’ve just recently returned from a holiday in Florida where we got to watch the test launch of the Orion capsule – SO FREAKING COOL!

  19. I have three girls and live in Ohio. Married for almost 13years.

    As a kid I grew up watching you on ST:TNG thinking ” Wil is on the show maybe I could be also.” Well that obviously didn’t happen but I have enjoyed all the movies and years after of the Trek. Enjoyed your blog outside of the Star Trek world also 🙂

    Huge fan and inspired nerd.

    Keep on keepin on Wil!

  21. Hi, I’m Heath. I’m 39 and live in Brisbane, Australia. I work as an Environmental Manager for my real job and a photographer for my fun-but-doesn’t-pay-the-bills job. I have a wife and an 11-year-old beagle named Snoopy, who we adopted when he was 7. Next week I’m off to Japan for 3 weeks, including a 10-day photography adventure in Hokkaido.

    And, don’t tell my wife, but she;s getting a rescue greyhound for Christmas. (Man it feels good to get that out!)

    You can find me on twitter at @8one3 and @HeathC

  22. My name’s Rich, I’m 25 and from New Jersey. I’m a dishwasher, but my dream is to write All-Ages Fiction (particularly fun adventure stories)

    Fun fact about me, I learned how to read by playing RPGs with my grandma

  24. My name is Eric. I’m a Magic: the Gathering player first and foremost, but I love just about every kind of tabletop gaming. I’m hoping to make my love of gaming into a job in the future, though I don’t yet know how.

  25. Hi I’m Jay and I’m an alco…oh wait. That’s not right. I’m Coordinator for the Schuylkill County(Pa) Animal Response Team, providing shelter and rescue to animals during disasters. I am owned by a beautiful black lab named Samson, who is my life.
    I love new technology, especially the Internet of things and all things BlackBerry(no, they have not gone under).
    I love science fiction and fantasy.
    I think I’ve rambled enough.

  26. Hey man, I guess this goes to show you actually read stuff :). Good on you. My name is Justin; I have a wife and a son. I work a job that I can’t stand. I am a musician, and I turned 40 years old this year and released my first EP of songs that no one seems to be interested in, and it sucks. In short, I’m deeply sad over the fact that I invest so much of myself into stuff that gets overlooked by people. I hope things are good on your side of the planet.

    1. Hey Justin, if this is the EP you’re talking about: http://roguesofficial.bandcamp.com/ I’d like to let you know that some guy in The Netherlands (yes, Europe) thinks it’s really good.

      If that’s not you, why don’t you link us to the correct EP? It’s not self promotion if I asked you for it is it?

    2. Justin, things happen for a reason. People will hear and love your music––when the time is right.

      1. I agree. Do what you love and make music that you enjoy. If you’re just trying to make money in a creative endeavor, it’ll be a long hard struggle that’ll make you unhappy. Make the music that makes you happy and put it out there. The right people will find it eventually.

  27. Sure, why not? My name is Mattias. I live in Sweden, and I work at a publishing house as an editor. Married, no kids. Love DM:ing, currently 5th edition. I’m spending christmas at home with my wife. The rain is pouring down outside, but that’s the south of Sweden for you.

  29. Hello! My name is Sam and I’m 16 years old. I have a thing for all things Marvel and Wil Wheaton. I love to read and write (occasionally). 🙂

  30. Hi there, I’m Beth, married with a 12-year-old son, a dog, a cat and two fish. We’re big fans, but even more with Tabletop (although my wallet doesn’t thank you.) We’re gearing up to introduce my family to Ticket to Ride this Christmas. Happy Holidays to you and yours.

    1. Hey, we just bought Ticket to Ride to try this Christmas too! Trying to get a Family Game Night started with a 16 and 12 year old. Fingers crossed!

  31. Hello! I’m Amy, I live in NY (upstate) I am married, with 2 kids, and I am an illustrator. I’m a gamer and a reader.

    cheers!

  32. Hey everybody! (hey Dr. Nick!) I’m a 33-year-old married lady loving in Idaho. I’m a social worker working with drug and alcohol addicts. Love the blog!

  33. Hey Wil, I’m Will and live in the North Bay. I work as a web developer and play music. Lifelong Star Trek fan and lifelong hockey fan. Keep writing the good writes.

  34. Hi, Wil. I’m an almost-30 something future Health Informatician finishing his Bachelor’s Degree in PDX. I also, in my spare time, review SF novels on my YouTube channel to introduce younger generations to SF literature, and do a SF fanzine in the hopes of introducing older SF fans to Japanese Animation and video games, and the interesting Speculative Fiction stories told therein.

  35. I’m Tye. Live in MI. I’m a husband and father of 2. I stay home and take care of my kids. Board Gamer for life now thanks to a random google search about a year and a half ago.

  36. I like this idea. I’m Elizabeth and from California. Early 30s. I have…too many hobbies. @.@ But I’m most passionate about different types of Asian media and studied Japanese in college to try to go into promoting it because it was something I enjoyed and also there was a ready, receptive market there that could potentially help to open doors for all Asians in entertainment because I want to help with creating a world with representative equality. I’m, of course, open to equality and representation for any and all other kinds of groups as well, but I’m only one cog in a whole mechanism for change and no one person can possibly encompass all of the work that needs to be done. My specialization I chose partly because of self-interest since I’m Asian American and because if I have a family one day, I’d like them to have a future that includes more choices and opportunities. Haven’t really been able to find a way to get paid for doing it though, so I try to do as much as I can through volunteering.

  37. Very cool idea. Hi! I’m Wendy, married, one kid, who recently flew from the nest for her first year of college. I’ve got 5 cats (gotta stop visiting the pets tore on adoption day) and when I’m not chained to a desk, I am very active with our local Ingress (the game) community.

  38. Greetings and Salutations, I am Ardee from Little Rock, Arkansas. I am a 57 year old grandmother, who lives to write and cater to one ornery little Chihuahua. My partner and I care for stray and feral cats in our neighborhood although some raccoons and possums have been known to visit the “all you can eat” buffet.

    I am odd, eccentric and more than a little queer. I truly an the neighborhood crazy old cat lady. It is a role that fits me well. Cheers, Ardee-ann

  39. I’m Heather. I have a dog and 3 cats. I have two late-teen kids. I make stained glass windows and started taking piano lessons last year at age 43. It is a challenge which I am really enjoying.

  40. My name is Chris (@stringlittle on Twitter). I’m a 25 year old web developer in Indiana (so close to Gen Con there really isn’t any excuse not to go). I’ve enjoyed tabletop games and anime for most of my life and it’s a big part of who I am and how I’ve developed as a person. I really love all the work you do and have had so many new games to play with new friends I’ve met at cons thanks to you. Keep it up!

  41. My name is Ashley, I’m almost 30, married, and expecting my first child. I’m a huge book nerd- I’ll read anything but I’m really into dystopian and young adult. I’m also really into makeup, and run a beauty and book blog.

  42. I’m up for it.

    I’m Carlos. Born and raised in L.A., now living in SLC, UT. Been a fan since the TNG days. I’m also one of the many gay men who still has a crush on Wil, though I’m happy he’s married to the awesomeness that is Anne. Unemployed due to my muscular dystrophy.

    Hope to one day meet you, Wil, though last year’s problem with SL COMIC-CON and you ruined that. (Thanks a lot, SLCCC!)

  43. Hey Wil, and everybody else,

    I’m Peter, I’m Dutch and live in a smallish city near Amsterdam. When I’m not fighting my depression (I’ve been very open about my depression and trauma’s ever since Robin Williams’ passing) I’m working on my own concepts. Primarily two boardgames I hope to publish in the future.

    Besides that I’m also a film-student, currently on hiatus, and am practicing for my first gig as a voice actor. I’ve also been a gamer for as long as I can remember, even written about and was editor in chief for a Dutch website.

  44. I’m Ken (as may be obvious from my posted name) and I tend to post long posts that have likely resulted in them being blocked purely for the sake of saving space in the comments section for everyone else (seriously, I can write forever on most topics). For that, I apologize for all that I’ve deposited here in these comments and I apologize in advance for many more to come (hopefully!).

    Being a tech guy, I tend to have trust issues with the Internet but I’m also laid back enough that I don’t care THAT much. I guess it’s why I’m usually willing to expose some info but hide or mask others. Take my avatar. That’s Mike Krahulik’s rendering of Zangrief. I’ve borrowed it purely because a) outside of being a bit out of shape compared to the monster that is Zangrief, he actually looks a bit like me…flying through the air and everything and b) I honestly have no desire to post pictures of myself anywhere. In fact, I barely have any of myself…yes, the idea of the selfie is completely lost on me.

    I’ve likely exposed a few details about myself over time here in these hallowed comment halls but the short of it is: I’m in that pile with those of you who understand what the 80’s was about (well, okay, maybe it wasn’t about anything specific), who has lived and to some extent still lives a double life (gamer and geek vs average joe everyone gets along with), and is really, really happy that things like TableTop and PAX exist today.

    And, though it feels rare still (which saddens me to no end), I’m also a gamer who has no concern whatsoever about what color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, age, or anything else you affiliate yourself with or otherwise associate with. To me, the expression “actions speak louder than words” holds a great deal of weight because I’ve seen it all. To me, happiness is seeing others having a great time and being able to enjoy the things that make them happy without fear of being ridiculed or bullied. You know those awkward professional photos that people laugh at where the guy or gal is holding his cat and is serious about their love for their cat? They don’t make me laugh. I’m just glad they found each other. (Okay, I do laugh at the hairstyles…what were we thinking back then?)

    I find just about everything out there fascinating and interesting. I have a strong sense of law and order (seriously, my wife complains ALL the time…”just cross over the line, the carpool lane is clear!” “Nope!”). If you’re innocent and being persecuted, I will defend you with my dying breath. But if you’re guilty of a crime, especially one that takes advantage of or victimizes those who can’t defend themselves, I’ll be your worst nightmare (but, in real life, so like your worst daytime nightmare that’s real but…nevermind). I love games, I love animals, I love science and space, I love the way the sunlight hits the trees about an hour before sunset, and I love when everyone gets to be happy.

    A big part of the reason I comment here (which I usually refrain from doing on most sites) is because I’m glad that Wil has helped at least partly to bring about this sort of…birth (can’t really call it a renaissance) of the era of the true gamer. True gamers know that it’s about the game, it’s not just about winning. It’s about being with family or friends and having a great time. It’s about creating those stories you recount years later about how you won that one game and it was incredible.

    And, to see the comments posted here on a regular basis, it looks like I’m not alone in that sentiment.

    Lastly, once again, this is a long post and I apologize. 🙂

  45. I’m called Deb. I am a Disnerd with an 80’s toy addiction. Married almost 5 years to a MTG obsessed Mopar man. We run a wholesale souvenir business. No human children, just a calico kitten.

  46. Hi Will – I’m a furry orange monster who blogs about kid friendly online games and staying safe online. I also have four cats and a tortoise… This was a great idea, I hope you get lots of great responses.

  47. Hi Wil,
    I’m Leanne Cole, I follow you on G+, which is the only Social Media account I have (I had a myspace account at one point, maybe I still do).
    I live in California, with my Fiancé, our two cats and a bunny rabbit.
    We’re getting married in April, so I already have big plans next year.
    My profile picture but it is from about 10 years ago, but I haven’t changed that much. It was taken at a ruined castle, and I really like that picture even though I’m not that detailed in it.

  48. It’s so cool reading through these comments and seeing how many have so much in common. But now I feel compelled to chart that data. Ha. I’m Anne, a high school special education teacher in the mountains of California. Whovian, Trekkie, ASOIAF lover, knitter, crocheter, piano-playing, beer loving, ball of social anxiety. Married, 2 bio kids, 3 adult step-kids, and a dog. Basically your blog/twitter is the most relatable thing I read on the internets.

  49. Hi! flail waves I’m Karen, a 52 yr old artist/writer/biblio-addict/game lover/ridiculously inappropriate geek & full-time homebound mom to a 19 yr old with Aspergers Syndrome. I usually hang on twitter & talk about books, games, depression & life’s challenges.

  50. Hi Wil, I’m Eli. I’m a human being living in Colorado, with my partner, our kid, two dogs, and the surliest salamander in the history of salamanders everywhere. I’m a hospice provider and brew beer in my free time. I also hope that you’re having an awesome day.

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