Did you ever started a friendship over the internet ?

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I "met" this lady a couple of weeks ago, she is American and much older than me. We clicked, we have a lots in common. Have you ever started a friendship the same way as I did ? If yes, did you meet up ?? I was never in this situation ! X

Yes. Just one.

Yes. Started chatting to a lady on a IVF support forum 12 years ago.

Eventually through out chats we discovered we lived 20 houses apart from each other.

We are great friends and have both had DC. I really couldn't have got through my journey without her support. Some things are meant to be.

Yes. She was my best friend for 3 years. Then she started taking drugs. Latest was an attempt at stealing my identity with intention to defraud.
I'm sure it ends badly as often as it ends happily but I'd have to think long and very bloody hard before I did it again.

To give another side of the coin - I avoid like the plague men who try to start up friendships with me on the internet. Its too easy for them to pretend to be something they are not, and you have no idea how many "ladies" they are chatting to all over the world. My heart sinks when I get yet another random stranger contacting me on FB or some forum I'm on, commenting on my appearance. I find it really annoying, and intrusive. I've never struggled to meet people in real life, mostly through shared interests, no matter where they live in the world.

Yes. 10 years ago I started chatting to an Australian woman who is 6 years older than me. We met on a forum.

We've never met in person but we email or online chat every day. We ring each other sometimes. She had a cancer scare recently and it floored me the depth of feeling I have for someone I've never met. Thankfully she's ok so we'll continue to laugh, cry and bitch for another decade or two hopefully.

Enjoy.

The lady who ended up being my birthing partner for dd3 (no 4) was only a internet friend. However she dropped everything and drove 1 hour to be here for the night dd3 was born. We met for the first time as I was in labour. her and dh got on famously.

She and her dh plus 2 boys came for lunch about 4 weeks after dd3 was born. We have never met up again. Still talk on facebook and every year for dd3's birthday does she post something lovely.

I don't regret it for a moment she was an amazing help and helped makde it a very positive experience.

Yes, and my experience is positive.

But many experiences are not positive.

What are you hoping to get from this thread?

Yes!! I have met 3 very good female friends on a different mums site and I have also got 2 ladies who live at the other side of the country who were a great help to me on a forum at a time of need we have been friends around 7 years now and chat regually send Christmas cards etc, hopefully one day we will meet but we will see we have been saying this for years, I invited both to my wedding but it would of been too awkward for them to get here.
I also have 2 male friends I met on chat rooms must be 10 years ago now we spoke regually on msn for years and then added on fb and we do chat now and then went on a date with one of them but we both decided we just wernt attracted to each other.

I do actually think online friends can be beter than real life friends, I find them easier to talk to and easier to discuss private issues

Yes, I have a few friends I met online and have frequent contact etc with x

I met one of my best friends on a forum for a mutual interest.

She has been one of the biggest influences on my life, and I don't know what I would do without her.

many friends from around the world over last 16 years I've been on various internet fora

& my current BF too

Yes on here and honestly they are as mad as you might imagine a group of Spaniels other breeds are available who had fingers.

We have met in various configurations a number if times and I can honestly say I like them all as much in RL. We all appear to be exactly as we are online.

I made friends with a group of women on MN earlier this year, and have already been to two meet ups myself. Another has just happened, one is planned for Christmas, and plans for next summer are already underway.

Despite one or two of them having anger issues, we all get on marvellously.

It probably helps that we're all suffering from a severe case of the Batshits.

I love my w... new friends. Even though it's only been a short while, I know I've got them for life. Oh yes. So I have.

If you click, you click. Good luck and have fun!

Who are these bunch of weirdos?

Thank you !!! As I said I never had an internet pen pal before so I just wanted to hear about your experience good or bad !

anne
elk

You get wank wench badges.

just as said, need, sorry to strike a sour note but do be a bit careful. Like I say, not everyone is quite what they seem. If you observe them over time and watch that what they say is consistent, that's a good sign.

I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderfully batshit people through this very forum - they are fabulous and I love them all!

Yep, a wide circle of friends and a good few I count as close friends. Met chatting on forums and we try to meet up a few times a year.

I did a few years ago via a message board regarding our work. An American lady - very nice we also chatted on the phone a few times. She helped me through a very dark period of my life.
The friendship has dwindled off now but lasted a couple of years.

Yes, a few through a hobby (have met one - an older lady - for lunch when I was passing through her area. The rest of them meet up regularly and I probably would join them occasionally if I wasn't currently on the other side of the world).

I also have my knitting friends. I've met them all through ravelry and twitter (and then going to the same classes/shows etc). Some of them are now extremely dear RL friends, lots of them sent presents when DD2 was born (and I've done the same with their children), and one lovely lovely person lugged a massive box of Irish tea back all around Australia and NZ so that she could give it to me when we met up on her last day of a 6 week holiday. RL or internet, that's a real friend

Yep a few. I think it is increasinly common these days.

I met my dh online, jsut over 10 years ago on a chat thingy one night when I was bored.

I've met various friends online, some that lived in the same village! Others that live miles away and we have met up. I have a friend I talk to regularly in Australia who I really hope to meet one day. It's a fab way to meet people and ime if you click online, it usually works out ok face to face too.

I have met a lot if nice people, but we were friemds through other conversations, debates, etc long before we met.

No regrets yet, people can be diferent than they portray themselves to be, but that also happens in real life.

I think meerka is right; you so have hairy fingers anne.