Saturday, February 05, 2011

Making Friends Online



The funny thing about the internet is that you can do your business on it. You can plan your meals from it, from your menus to your recipes to your shopping list. You can broaden your knowledge, getting into some subject and researching it and studying it online. You can do you banking and paying bills on it. Even pay your taxes on it. And you can even make friends on it. "Friends? Oh how can that be?" I can hear you now.



What is a friend anyway? According to The Free Dictionary it means:


  1.  a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate
  2.  an acquaintance or associate
  3.  an ally in a fight or cause; supporter
  4.  a fellow member of a party, society, etc.
  5.  a patron or supporter a friend of the opera
  6. be friends (with) to be friendly (with)
  7. make friends (with) to become friendly (with)

The truth is, that I have had made some very good friends online. In fact, some of them know more about me than ones I know in person. The reason I think that is true is because I am a writer. So when I talk to people in person, it is just that small talk sort of conversation. When you write a email, a blog post or a forum post, you can express yourself much better. No one interrupts you. No one corrects what you are saying. No one acts bored with your conversation. In fact, they really listen (or read). Then they have time to reply back after having looked at your message again if need be. My NY homesteading forum all met online and now we have met each other in person many times. Even been to each others's homes. 



In person, I find that I can't keep up with friendships. I am very busy at home. Driving somewhere to meet for a lunch or dinner is not something I really like to do. In front of my computer, I can devote my time and thoughts on what I am writing. Not worrying about what time it is or how bad the roads are, or if I have enough gas to make it back home. 

Over the years I have met some very awesome people on my computer. I reconnected with some people that I knew in person. Many people that I had lived near and gone to school with. I thought I'd never see any of them again!  Just a few months ago, I reconnected with my own cousin. It seems to me that we get to know each other so much more by writing. It may be an old fashioned method of developing a friendship. Such as letter writing was in the past. But now with the computer and internet, it has become modern technology! 


Copyright © 2011 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2011  Kathleen G. Lupole unless otherwise stated.

5 comments:

Sherri said...

this is so true! i have "met" more people and shared more things than all the years in my real life. i'm a self proclaimed hermit... always have been a loner...i'm okay with that...but it has allowed me to disconnect from people... maybe not such a good thing? i don't know...

what i do know is that through the internet i am able to share myself more easily... my thoughts, words, opinions... and without having to face the eye rolling judgement i'm so afraid of... i'm sure that happens when some read my stuff...but i'm not aware of it ;)

katlupe said...

Yes Sherri, I have always been a home person too. Always dread having to go somewhere, especially a gathering of any sort. Then when I am at it, I usually enjoy it and am glad I came. But I am always so glad to get back home again!

The Redhead Riter said...

You are sooooooooooooo right about "No one acts bored with your conversation." LOL Isn't it a nice change!

Great post Katlupe, as always. I love your blog!

Annie said...

That's a great post and very true. One of my very best and closest friends lives south of Boston. We have been friends for 12 years now and have helped each other thru hard and grieving times in each of our lives.

We have NEVER actually met face to face....that's on my bucket list. We talk on the phone often and online pretty much all the time.

katlupe said...

Thank you Red! Coming from you, that is a compliment I am honored to get!!!!