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Would you be willing to meet an on-line friend?


Cornholio12

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If you had gotten to know them very well? Do you feel it's worth the effort if you could possibly gain a lifelong friend?

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Yes...if you're single, an adult, and trust the site and way in which you made their acquaintance. People are getting married after having first 'met' through on-line dating sites. (Haven't you heard? :p)

 

Just be smart about it. Meet in a public place the first few times; don't take them home with you on your first 'date' (and don't go to theirs.)

 

If you are AT ALL uncomfortable, then do NOT attempt it.

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Yes, I don't see why not, as long as you're safe as Ronni said. It's rare enough to find people who you click with; regardless of how you met, you shouldn't let a good friendship pass you by. You never know where it might lead!

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While there is a couple of people I wouldn't mind meeting from LS, I am also very aware that being friends on line does not guarantee that meeting in person will turn into a friendship. From what I read, many do not.

 

On line we have our persona, and while it may be the real person, it may not be who we are in a face to face conversation. So while I give an impression of who I am, when for example some LSers meet me in person, they may be surprised as to who I really am. It may be better or it may not be.

 

As has been mentioned, there is an additional element that needs to be considered. Is the person on line really the person who is "real?" Sometimes, little details may be different. Perhaps the person you know on line says she is not married because she wants the "cyber affair." But when you meet IRL, you discover this is not true. Or perhaps the picture she sent is not who she really is.

 

Personally, unless I felt that it would be beneficial to the "relationship/friendship" that we had on line, I would not meet in person.

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GorillaTheater

The caveats that James posted are certainly good ones, but that said I met a guy from another board because the opportunity presented itself. As it turned out, we get along as famously IRL as we did on that board. The fact that he owned a liquor store was merely a bonus.

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I have met many online friends from various forums; food, tech, literature.

 

And some of them have become VERY good friends in the real world. When I was going through my horrible break-up a year ago-July, one of my online friends left her work early and drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco to be with me for four days. It was that bad, she knew it, and she was there for me.

 

We will be friends for the rest of our lives and it all started because we had an affinity for sushi and started chatting about where to eat.

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I've been meeting people online and visiting them in person for about 13 years now, in various countries around the world as well as here at home. Met my now stbx online about 11 years ago.

 

If I have significant interaction with someone online and enjoy their perspective and the discourse, I always move to make it real world. Real world is where friendships and relationships develop. IMO, there's no sense in putting in a lot of time and emotion with electrons when the real world is so small and so easily bridged.

 

All that said, the most long lasting relationships which I've started online were those which revolved around interests, for me primarily vintage cars and travel. I've had friends from those interests for over a decade now.

 

OP, it might not be for you or you might find a wonderful new way to make friends and experience life. Only way to know is to try it. Best wishes :)

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It's not like the thought of meeting one of my online friends hasn't crossed my mind, it's just that people can masquerade as anyone they want too online. :(

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GorillaTheater
It's not like the thought of meeting one of my online friends hasn't crossed my mind, it's just that people can masquerade as anyone they want too online. :(

 

That's true, but life is risk. Meeting in a public place (my friend and I met in a restaurant) makes those risks manageable for the most part.

 

My advice is to go for it. Good friendships are worth a little risk.

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I met a few and it worked out ok, there are a few more I wouldn't mind meeting if the timing and location works out, and there a lot I never want to met.

 

Just be safe and have fun.

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So far I have met one of my friends off myspace at a Good charlotte/Boys Like Girls/Metro Station concert;) we are better friends now that we've gotten to meet each other, I met another friend from myspace in Times Square(im from that area lol) at TRL in MTV Studios. Its really nice to have a life and meet new people, so why not?

I mean, as long as you two get together in a PUBLIC place, you should be fine. If you have gotten to know this person on the net for a long time, and enjoy communicating, take it out of cyberworld and meet up, =] you never know what that could lead up to. I think there is nothing wrong with it. Just stay safe. goodluck.

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I met my husband on Myspace!! lol

and became really good friends with some people that I met on there.

You just have to be careful who you meet and where you meet.

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One thing I did leave out. It's this girl who is eighteen who started chatting with me in late June. And I'm 28. And I don't trust the situation ONE bit. I hate to sound like an ass or anything, but why would some random person pluck out someone older than her and start to socialize? As an adult, I'm going to play it safe. I don't understand the whole thing at all......:confused:

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