[Erax]

I definitely use a different style to speak Online, for reasons beyond my control.

One - the written word is more formal than the spoken word, especially if, like me, you choose to write in English and not in some kind of net slang.

Two - lack of nonverbal cues (such as tone of voice) means I have to make an extra effort to make myself clear, which means I end up using more words than I would offline.

Three - My offline conversations are in Portuguese, but most of what I write Online is in English, and that has an effect. Portuguese, especially our variety of it, has (for lack of a better word) a much 'friendlier' tone than English.

I try to balance my Online and offline lives, but Online relationships are always accessible - you connect and there you are - while my offline friends for the most part live some distance away and have busy schedules of their own. I don't really have much in common with the people in my immediate area, so after I get home from work (and before my wife arrives - her schedule doesn't match mine either) if I want to talk to someone it has to be Online.

That being said, I don't do chat. I stick to Yahoo Groups/Intel Forums/e-mail.