The Truth About Internet Friends

In today's world, having internet friends is a very normal thing, at least for the younger generation. For others, that's very hard to fathom or even scary. Since I got to meet another one of my internet friends in person this week (and loved it!), I thought I'd break down the truth about internet friends.

Yes, I met an internet friend this week at a coffee shop in the city on a rainy day. I survived both the trip and the get-together, and it was awesome!!

If you think that sounds adventurous, the first time I ever met an internet friend, I flew across the country to stay with her family, roadtrip with her and another online friend, and attend a conference ... all over my 19th birthday. (Oh, and we hooked up with like ... five other writers that most of us had not met in person?)

Not only did I live to tell the tale both times, but we also had a really nice time. Beyond that, never was it awkward for me. (Yes, this was surprising because I am a somewhat awkward person when it comes to human interaction.)

So to give a brief overview, here are some of my thoughts:

• You can have real friends on the internet. Listen, this makes sense. If friendship is based on things like common interests, upbringing, and personality ... shouldn't it almost be easier to find such people online than in real life?
• You won't know until you try. AKA you might like them online and not in person, but there's only one way to find out. If you do get on in real life, this is how you cement your friendship.
• Yes, it's still the internet. While it's got it's perks, of course you should be smart about internet friendships. Not everyone actually wants to be your friend. But once you find someone you really enjoy keeping up with online, you'll see what a light such a person can be in the darkness of a very bizarre internet.
• This is just the newest thing. Yes, internet friends are a newer thing, but they're so cool!!! And, really, how is this different than writing to a stranger like people used to do? At least I have the internet now to do research on them if I'm worried.

I'm very grateful for all of you, whether we ever meet in person or not. :)

~~~~~

If you've private messaged or *gasp* emailed someone via the internet ... then you have an internet friend! Have you ever met any internet friends in person?