For more than three years, thousands of people checked Layne Johnson Web site. Layne was witty, sexually adventurous and intimate with her readers, posting photos of her travels and exchanging private e-mails and instant messages with fans. She posted messages to other people’s blogs and created personal profiles at social networking sites. It was better than a reality show or soap opera because fans could interact with the star. In the comments section of the blog, they would comment on her daily decisions, and Layne would sometimes join in.

Then, nearly three weeks ago, the Weblog mysteriously evaporated from the Internet.

Now the person behind Layne has come forward: it’s Odin Soli, a 35-year-old male entrepreneur and writer. He admitted that he created Layne as an experiment in “interactive fiction.” His deception exploited the social aspects of Weblogs, which allow readers to post comments directly onto diary entries and create virtual communities.

The deception has left Layne’s fans struggling with emotions ranging from anger and betrayal to respect for the writing and a con well done. And it demonstrates how easy it is for the Internet to foster intimacy among total strangers.

From Mercury News, via The social software weblog.