How to Make Friends Online

Distorted Connections

It is always fun to have more friends in your life. The more the merrier, it's been said. But not everyone understands the concept of making and keeping Internet relationships. Staying friends with people you barely know can be quite the challenge, but maintaining a healthy online social life, secondary to your real life one, can be done, if you are willing to work at it a bit. Sometimes it can be a real enhancement to your social life to meet new people from far away places and befriend them. It is not only fun, but it is also entertaining and educational. You can learn so much about different people and different cultures that way.

Instructions

1. Locate a good online social networking website that is populated by people you personally can relate to. Pick one that features discussions about things you yourself are interested in. If the site has a chat room in it, so much the better as you can have personal discussions with the people you meet in the forums. You can learn a lot about your mutual topic of interest while at the same time enjoying a little harmless on-line entertainment. There will be discussions, (often disguised as outright arguments) and there will be laughter as well. It is not all educational and it is seldom boring.

2. Pick a good online name, something that represents your unique personality and fill out your profile. Most social networking sites are also dating sites so be careful when filling out the profile questions. If you are not there for dating purposes, you should reveal that fact in your profile. Once you have filled out your profile, a picture can be uploaded if you choose, but this can sometimes be dangerous. Remember that much of what is posted online is public property and can be downloaded by anyone in the know. A photo of a cartoon character or a favorite pet is a good idea. Some people post no pictures at all, but these folks often don't meet a lot of friends, since usually those who frequent these sites are typically a bit distrustful of disembodied people with no faces.

3. Once you have your profile, you need to check out the different features of the site and get to know its "personality" so you can use it easily whenever you wish. If there are forums and usually there are, go in and see what the people are talking about. Add a comment or two as you like but always remember to be friendly. You will be considered a troll if you go in hassling folks on your first day on-site. This is not conducive to making new friends. But friendly comments in the forums will encourage people to try to get to know you better. Don't be surprised though, if you get ignored for a little while since it can take some people a length of time to become comfortable with new posters.

4. If the site has an email program included, use it. Send friendly, "how-do-you-do" messages to people who seem easy to talk to. Some will answer you back, but many will not. This is how they protect themselves from the scams out there, so don't be upset if it seems you are being ignored at first. Eventually a few will answer and you will be well on your way to making new friends. Of course you will encounter your share of scams and dishonest people. Just be certain of their intentions before giving away email addresses and other personal information.

5. Make absolutely certain that your online relationships do not take away from your real life ones. Establish those first and maintain them as they are very important to your growth as a person. You can learn a lot from your friends, both near and far. Make sure that your Internet time does not become the most important thing in your life because it can be very addictive. When you are repeatedly late for work because of "just one more minute online" or you find yourself never leaving your house or your computer, it is time to re-assess your addiction.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't give away more information than you need to. Many people have lost their identities this way.

• Don't give up if it seems like you are being ignored.

• Be friendly!! Always be friendly even when you completely disagree with someone.

• Never give anyone on the Internet any personal information unless you have come to know them very well and trust them. This includes your real name, home address, email address and phone number. People's identities have been stolen with less.