I can't really contribute much advice here because I'm still feeling this stuff out for myself, but I will say that I get the struggle with shyness - if you're an introverted person, I imagine it's really hard to put yourself out there and act against type. Even with the layers of separation that we get in online roleplaying, it's not necessarily as simple as "just getting over it", if you're the type who literally freezes like a deer in a spotlight. It's one thing to write an outgoing character when you're anything but, it's another thing entirely to play one out in realtime.
Take this with a grain of salt, but one thing that might work for people with major social anxiety is to try approaching people OOC first. Tell them that their character sounds interesting and you'd like to interact with them but you're strapped for ideas how, or something. Improv can be really hard, especially with people you don't know; if you can break the ice OOC a bit, that'll take a lot of the pressure off you. I can't speak for everyone, but I imagine a lot of people would be accommodating in that kind of situation, so long as you're willing to brainstorm ideas too and not just make them do the mental footwork.
If you're shy or have social anxiety, it's a hurdle that you're going to have to overcome if you don't want to have to rely on others to approach you; it wont be easy, and it won't be instantaneous, but gradually, as you put yourself out there more and more and strengthen your coping mechanisms in case embarrassment occurs, it'll get better.
Take this with a grain of salt, but one thing that might work for people with major social anxiety is to try approaching people OOC first. Tell them that their character sounds interesting and you'd like to interact with them but you're strapped for ideas how, or something. Improv can be really hard, especially with people you don't know; if you can break the ice OOC a bit, that'll take a lot of the pressure off you. I can't speak for everyone, but I imagine a lot of people would be accommodating in that kind of situation, so long as you're willing to brainstorm ideas too and not just make them do the mental footwork.
If you're shy or have social anxiety, it's a hurdle that you're going to have to overcome if you don't want to have to rely on others to approach you; it wont be easy, and it won't be instantaneous, but gradually, as you put yourself out there more and more and strengthen your coping mechanisms in case embarrassment occurs, it'll get better.
