Making Friends On The Internet

One of the most hotly debated and deeply criticised friendships is online friendship, defined as people who have come to know each other through the Internet, perhaps through one of the many well-known sites that offer decent internet friendship. There are hundreds of people on these sites, who share similar interests to each of us, and when one logs onto the sites and talks to others, they may find a lifelong friend. However, there are signs to be wary of; precautions to be kept in mind, while making Internet friends.

Nurturing a friendship with somebody you can’t see or feel, is not an easy task, by any means, for without their physical presence, forming a friendship that will last forever is very difficult. Of course, some people will argue that there is an advantage in not being able to see one another. Some don’t have a lot of confidence in their looks and some shy away from speaking in public, or in a group. For these people, online friendship can be a way of avoiding these daunting moments. In the main though, this opens up the Internet to deception in an Internet friendship. Anybody can be anybody they wish… hide behind a veil and live an Internet life of deceit and lies. Any person who owns a computer, can log onto these sites anonymously and make friends with bad intentions, and sometimes these people are difficult to spot until perhaps, it’s too late.

So, when making friends over the internet, it is advisable to be extremely careful and be alert at all times. When speaking to unknown people on the internet, do not divulge personal information, like you telephone number, address or even close location, unless you are totally sure of the person to whom you’re speaking. Cut contact, if you feel this person is probing too deeply into your personal life, and don’t disclose anything about your friends, relatives or close family. Exchange photographs only if you know this person well, and trust them with personal information, and never, ever arrange to meet a person you have just met on the Internet. Whatever age you are, if you feel you want to go meet somebody, either get hold of their details and leave them with a friend, or family member; tell somebody close to you where and when the meeting is to take place; or better still, take somebody you trust totally along with you. Always check a person’s profile, and if you feel they’re not genuine, don’t accept their friends request, and certainly don’t forward or read e-mails to or from unknown people. Never disclose your e-mail password, credit card number, ATM password or pin to anybody over the internet.

Be safe and avoid those who are not what they purport to be. Make your Internet experience a happy one, and avoid the liars and the deceitful. Make good friends, not bad.