Maybe it was already broken

You know how we all poke around other weblogs, regularly revisit the ones that in some way speak to us or belong to people we know and throw our two cents worth of support or damnation into comments boxes? That little bit of recognition - just knowing that something you've written has affected a friend or random stranger enough to elicit a comment - creates a weird bond between the writer and the commenter. Makes us feel as though a personal connection has been made and more often than not, commenters and writers become familiar acquaintances or closer friends... what I can't figure out is why that doesn't carry over into real life. If you're having a generic conversation with someone on a bus or in a restaurant or any public place and a random stranger overhears it, even if they have something to contribute to the conversation, it's not likely they'll just jump in and give their opinion of whatever you're talking about (unless they're off their nut wasted). There isn't any rule of social conduct that prohibits it, but it just doesn't happen. So, why is it that we, the webloggers of the world, can make complete strangers our familiars and friends with no face time, but so many of us have fallen into the desolate wasteland of the post-collegiate social pool? It is timing? Location? Would the ties we've made with other bloggers carry over into telephoned invites to dinner parties and movie nights and poker parties and jell-o wrestling in the kiddie pool if we all lived within driving distance? Has writing our lives out for the world to read stripped us of our ability to have a meaningful conversation with our friends because they've already read about the generic details on the internet? Damn that Ezra guy over at Holy Crap for making me think.... maybe we can go grab a beer and talk about it...