How To Make Friends Online.
Making friends in adulthood is difficult. Most people make lifelong friendships in school or college, but there are many reasons why you might no longer be in touch with these friends today.
Moving to a new city and being separated for various reasons is normal. If you’re now without a buddy to hang out with, looking for friendship online is a good option. However, here, as in the offline world, you have to play your cards right if you want to connect with new people.
So, if you want to learn how to make friends online, here are some practical tips on how to do it.
Do you want friends online or offline?
The first thing you need to think about is whether you want to basically make friends with people online that you only plan to chat with online, or if you want to end up meeting in real life. The reason it matters is that you have so much time to make friends.
If you want to keep real-life meeting opportunities open, you need to focus on the people who are physically available to you. For example, those who live in the same city as you.
If you’re looking for digital pen friends only, then where they are is less important. Although you can search for people in a time zone similar to yours if you want real-time interaction.
Keep the romance out
There is a big difference between finding friends online and finding people you want to meet and be romantically involved with.
If you say you are looking for friends to anticipate romance, then you are not only being dishonest, but you are also sabotaging both goals. If you are looking for romance on the Internet, be honest, and use online spaces specifically designed for this purpose. Don’t break into online spaces where people just want to hang out and talk about their hobbies or interests. Don’t make it weird!
Connect with people of your level
Common interests, similar life experiences, and comparable lifestyles are all important factors in building meaningful relationships. This is why you should look for people who have a lot in common with you in all three areas.
This not only gives you a lot of material to establish and maintain contact, but it also means that you have a better chance of genuinely showing interest in the other person, which brings us to the next important tip.
Care about the other person
There is nothing more repulsive than someone who only talks about himself. However, most people enjoy doing it! Both in real life and online, this is a great way to refrain from talking about yourself unless the other person asks directly about it.
When you are talking to someone (online or elsewhere), do not wait in line to speak. Pay attention to what they said and then ask them to clarify. We are not saying that you should pretend that you are interested, or that you should go overboard and interrogate them, but try to do it about the other person.
Not only will this give you more information about whether online friendships are possible or even desirable, but it will also make you fall in love with the other person. Since most people enjoy talking about themselves, you can give them plenty of opportunities to do so, and they’ll likely enjoy it.
There will be natural moments in a conversation when you can share your opinions, views, and experiences. It just shouldn’t be more than half of the exchange!
Don’t be a creep
This is probably good general life advice, but online creep can quickly end budding friendships. What do people find creepy? On the one hand, growing friendships too quickly, being overwhelmed by want, and emitting despair are all surefire ways to send potential friends to flee the mountains.
The most important thing is to allow the relationship to develop naturally. Be a good conversationalist. Don’t share or ask incredibly personal things until you’ve reached the proper level of trust with the other person. Most importantly, don’t make any explicit or implied commitment to friendship!
In other words, do it lightly for as long as the other person needs it. If that means casual online friendships on an ongoing basis, then so be it. Both casual and closer friendships are good for you and can exist side by side.
Use the Platonic Friend apps
Just as there are apps that help people find love on the Internet, there are actually websites, apps, and services designed to help people achieve the explicit goal of making friends. One of the benefits of these apps is that they prohibit flirting or other dating activities. So if you’re looking for friends, this can help filter out people looking for something else.
Patuk is probably the best and most specific example. It works just like a dating app, where potential matches are displayed and you swipe left or right over them. When there is a mutual connection, you will have the opportunity to break the ice and start a conversation.
When you have a little chat, Patook will encourage you to take the conversation to another platform or even real life. It works? We really became friends with Patuk! So do what you want out of it.
Bumble is another platform offering a platonic friend service, but they also offer a traditional dating app. The friend-only version of Bumble is called Bumble BFF, and it offers another way to meet people who live in the neighborhood who also want to chat and make friends without having to date!
Safety and real-life meetings
So, let’s say you’ve made a friend online, and there comes a time when you both feel like you want to meet in real life. This is a big step! Meeting online is one thing, but being in someone’s presence is another.
In addition to all the common human anxieties that are associated with all interpersonal relationships, you also have an additional layer of safety concern. Since you cannot be sure that the person you met on the Internet is really who they say they are, or they are not involved in various scams like catching cats.
This means it makes sense to take reasonable precautions the first time you meet a friend you make online in real life. Here are some important ones:
- Meet other people in a public place.
- Bring a friend or family member with you.
- Let people know when and where you are meeting your online friend.
- Also, tell them what this person looks like and what their name is.
You will want to get first-hand evidence that the person you are dating really is who they say they are. Don’t be too frank about it. Discuss, for example, where they work or what they are learning. Of course, you must provide the same information about yourself in order to gain trust in the other direction!
The most important thing is to trust your intuition. If something is wrong with your personal meeting, don’t be afraid to leave! Good luck finding new friends online!
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