Question #1

I believe that meeting people online or taking online classes can be just as affective as meeting someone in person.  I feel that having conversations with someone that you are not face to face with is easier for most people because they are not nervous when speaking, and a person cannot really be shy when typing on a computer. I think that it is also easier to start and hold conversations online, because you can talk at your own pace and there are no awkward silences between the people. Also, when meeting someone online you can take your time and think about what questions you want to ask that person and they can think about their response, so I feel that you can get into more in depth conversations which leads to getting to know someone just as well as you can in person. When it comes to taking online classes, people who usually would not voice their opinions in a classroom will have the opportunity to feel more comfortable speaking their mind through discussion boards and student chat rooms.