This is an interesting question and something that I've been wondering about myself. The best answer I can come up with is that it both is and isn't the same as my personality in the "real world"
It is easier for me to be open online than person to person but that is the very thing that makes me suspect that my personality isn't quite the same. I take the time (usually) to be more thoughtful in my responses and opinions online not because I'd necessarily do/say anything different in person but because I have the luxury of time. I also wonder how important all of the little things about my real world personality such as the hesitations, smiles, purse-lipped headshakes and so forth are. I wonder if perhaps they matter more in communicating myself than I realize.
All that said, observing and understanding the differences between my online personality and my personality in the "real world" is slowly shaping them both.
