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ANNA LIANSKI
Age 28
Resides Manhattan
Occupation Advertising agency

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? I've been in rooms devoted to special topics, but in general I think you're wasting your time. I think they're for lonely people.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship? Yes. Even though people get bored in relationships, cybersex leaves you feeling used and dirty. Nabokov wrote a story about a couple who met some other people and then told each other about their experiences. They ended up committing suicide because they couldn't get back to where they were before. You don't see the end when you start.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room? I myself never did that. I know a woman who met someone on the Internet. Of course, when I heard he was planning to bring her to the U.S. from Russia, I was even more suspicious. But you never know.

DRAKE SHAW
Age19
Resides Manhattan
Occupation Entrepreneur

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? Yes. Last night I was in one looking for a job. Sometimes I go in to meet girls.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship?No. It's just like porn. Cheating is the actual physical act.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room?Yes. I met a girl online and after about a week, I asked her out. It turned out she lived up near me in Harlem. At first she didn't want to meet me, but later she agreed to hook up with me at the Magic Johnson movie theater. We saw Planet of the Apes, which wasn't very good. She was nice, but she didn't look like how I expected her to look—she was kind of big. I haven't talked to her since.

CHARLES PEDRICK
Age33
Resides Bronx
Occupation Writer-software developer

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? Yes. I'm very interested in politics and sports. I became particularly obsessed with them during the last presidential election.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship? I would say that cybersex isn't cheating. I don't think what Bill Clinton did was cheating. I understand the distinction he was making.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room? No, but I'd do it. I'm very open. A woman I was corresponding with via the message board said she couldn't believe I was using my real name. I figure, I'm posting my real opinions, so why hide?

CRAIG MESSINA
Age26
Resides Manhattan
Occupation Painter

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room?Yes. I've been in goth music chat rooms.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship?Yes. If a girl I was involved with was having cybersex, I'd be mad.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room? No, but I would. My friend met his fiancée in a chat room. Two months after they met they were living together, and now they're engaged. They're exactly alike. In fact, she is him but in a girl's body.

MINH TRAN
Age29
Resides Manhattan
Occupation Designer

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? Yes. I've met people in chat rooms and had prolonged conversations with them.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship? Yes. It's interactive. You could say that in the same way that marijuana is a gateway drug, cybersex is a gateway to lechery.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room?Yes, and they're never what you expect. It's like seeing a celebrity in person. It bursts your bubble.

TALIB SASA
Age23
Resides Queens
Occupation Legal proofreader

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? I've visited them for hacking and video game tips, tons of cybersex, and other informational purposes.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship? No. It's not real. It's words on a screen.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room?I've had long-term correspondence, but I prefer to keep it as a fantasy.

DANNY
Age28
Resides Brooklyn
Occupation Actor

Have you ever visited an Internet chat room? No. I only use the computer for e-mail.

Is cybersex cheating if you're in a relationship? I don't judge what other people do, but for me it would be cheating. I'm getting married in three weeks.

Did you ever meet in person someone you'd contacted in a chat room? No. You also never know who's going to show up. You might end up meeting some wacked-out person from Nebraska.