How to Meet People Online
The Internet makes the world a little smaller with chat rooms, forums, and special interest groups. A toy soldier collector? A dahlia expert? With a little searching, chances are you'll find someone online who shares your passions and interests.
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Instructions
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Birds of a Feather
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Join an online service or Internet service provider.
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Explore the special-interest chat rooms and forums provided by your service or ISP.
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Use a search engine such as Yahoo.com or Google.com to widen your options. Find Web-based chat areas and forums that focus on your interests. For example, type "organic gardening" in the search box and hit enter. Then visit the Web sites that sound appealing. If you like games, use a search engine to find sites where other gamesters congregate and compete.
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Read the posts on message boards at intriguing Web sites and follow the "threads" about topics that interest you.
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Pick a site that attracts birds of your feather and spend some time there.
Settling In and Becoming a Regular
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Let the veterans be your guides. Ask plenty of questions.
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Maintain a low profile and enjoy the interchange of ideas and comments.
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Be kind and avoid hostile exchanges.
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Make friends naturally. Do not seek romance aggressively.
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Encourage the longtime members to suggest possible matches for you.
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Use e-mail and private chat sessions to develop a friendship with a potential romantic partner.
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Start planning your first actual date only after trust has been established.
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Tips & Warnings
Search engines save you time in finding good spots to meet folks with similar interests.
Ask online friends about other online meeting places.
Attend forum or chat room get-togethers to meet your new circle of friends.
Identify the group leaders and treat them with deference.
Learn the group's history and avoid hot-button issues that have caused trouble in the past.
Online addicts and people that engage in role-playing games often adopt fanciful personas that do not accurately reflect who they are. Try not to "fall in love" with a fictional character.
Forums and chat rooms have pecking orders. Do not ignore them.
Most groups have certain members who have thin skin or hair-trigger tempers. Ask your trusted friends to warn you about the troublesome folks.
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Comments
View all 14 Comments-
I don't want to date I just want to talk with other people in my area!
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This was very helpful. Thank you!
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"Difficulty: Moderately Easy"? Oh you've GOT to be kidding me.
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buenz
Dec 16, 2009
You can also try at Live Date Search. There are a lot of sites that lets you find new friends but sometimes you will just find scams. But here you can be sure you will meet real people. -
ravm
May 19, 2009
I can't believe you didn't mention social media. For example, by signing up for a Twitter account and following my office mate's Twitter page, I've been introduced to her entire circle of friends. As I continue to follow more people, I'm constantly being informed of exciting things that people are doing like coffee shop open mike nights, happy hour, etc. It's a great way to become hip on what's going on within a localized community and participate in that community.
