When you run Kismet on your laptop, does it generate any packets
or network traffic of any kind?

I mean, is it possible for somebody to detect that you are running it?
Is it possible for somebody to get my Mac address or any identifying
information?

Thank you.

It appears that Kismet passively collects packets meaning it doesn't send any.

Actually, promiscuous mode tells the card to accept all Ethernet frames, regardless of wether or not they are addressed to your MAC address. They are, however, still Ethernet frames, and you would need to be associated to the AP.

Monitor mode, on the other hand, tells the card to feed you raw 802.11 frames -- with the encapsulated ethernet frames inside them -- just as received from the air. Therefore, you don't need to be associated, and, in fact, will see all traffic on a given channel.

If you are not in monitor mode, the card strips off the 802.11 portion of the packet and feeds plain ethernet to the PC.

You can still send traffic in monitor mode, I do it to generate traffic on a WEP'd AP. Promiscuous mode, I don't think it can send anything. And kismet runs in monitor mode.