Can online friends be as good as offline friends? How?

Three years ago I would have rubbished the whole idea of having real online friends, but I have had to change my mind. When comparing online and offline friends, the whole basis of friendship is different. As you state, with offline friends, there is eye contact and body language, but there is not necessarily (not usually) the wide range of discussion topics enjoyed as we have online. Here at myLot, we chat backwards and forwards on a range of topics that would not enter a normal conversation between offline friends. We get to know our friends' views and reactions. We get to know their likes and dislikes; their ideals, hopes and dreams; their passions, regrets, shared emotions and inner thoughts. We share in so many ways that before long, we feel we have known them all our lives. No - this doesn't happen with all our friends here, but neither does it happen with all our offline friends. I would dearly love to meet some of my online friends. I have met a couple and will meet a couple more soon, but I have friends in several countries, oceans away, and I would love to meet them. So I would have to conclude that online friends can be just as real as offline friends.

What are you saying??

A few minutes ago I answered Reeyan's open discussion, on the same lines, in different words. No, I don't believe in getting to know the other person personally. I prefer not knowing them. I feel more comfortable to open a discussion as well as repond to discussions. I'm not being cowardly, but I'm not in the habit of talking to all people, unless I trust them. So this is better. They don't know me, and I don't know them.

If online friends can become off line friends, why not? However, the chance are remote.Moreover, it will take a long time to achieve trust and a great long lasting relationship with online buddies. Sure, body language is missing and so is the human person.But when you are in the same city, you can meet and try to develop a relationship.

Honestly, will you be able to trust a person 100% when you know them only online? I wouldn't even if I tried hard. I pride myself in being able to read people through their body language. It is in no way possible for me to do that online. So that makes it impossible for me. Maybe an online friendship can just be the start of a great friendship, but I have to meet and know them in person, for me to trust them. I have had few friends online in the last years but it would be a lie, if I said I believed in everything they told me. And friendship without trust is not worthy of maintaining. So what did I do? I met them :) and now we are great friends.

Hey Abhishek, A friend is a friend, it doesn't matter if he is online or offline. If the person online is truly your friend, a simple text is enough to interact with him. On the other hand if a person offline is NOT your friend you can not interact with him even with all your facial expressions, body language or anything else.

I think it depends on what you want from an online friend. You really can't expect to have the same kind of relationship, and that's OK for some people. It doesn't bother me, because I understand the difference. I have a "friend" on myspace who lives in Germany. He really wants to meet me and he comes to the US a couple of times a year for a few weeks. The thing is, I'm not going to move to Germany and I doubt he's going to move here, so I'm not sure why I would want to meet him face to face, you know?

Well, There is always a chance that your online friends can prove to be better than your offline friends. Its just a matter of giving them an opportunity and posing your trust in them. Of course, offline friends are better because its for you to interact with, express your thoughts with them while having a face to face conversation and they might better understand you as compared to online friends. But my opinion would be, its good to have online friends and its equally important that you get that online friendship converted to an offline one as soon as possible to keep that relationship lasting. You cannot continue to share your feelings and thoughts online. I have some good online friends and I do interact with them daily. And saying on a personal experience, I would not be able to continue it for so long until i meet them once in real life.

I absolutely agree with you. Online frendz cannot b trusted unless we really get to know them well over a period of time. But the real life frendz are always der 4 you.

You are right face to face interaction is very important. Unless your seeing the person with a cam how can your really know who you are talking to??? Then again even when you see them they can act like an angel of light and they may really be Jack the Ripper. You just never know. There are many predators out there in the concrete jungle.

For most people, it is difficult to treat friends online as equal as offline friends. With the development of the Internet, although it is becoming an important and indispensable part of our daily life, it seems that it is just a network fictitious world. So, it means that we can't get familiar with our friends online completely and it is difficult to build a good and steady relationship with friends online. Of course, there may be some exceptions if one pays more attention to their friends online.

Certainly,but some can be. I have many friends who are my friends in relity, not online. I think making online friends is OK for everyone . But we must judge whether he is a true friend or not. Tha's will decide by our own eyes.

No, never My all friends are from normal life So called online friends i don't even consider friends. Given that they could be lying. Most people on the internet lie about themselves So, don't trust much people you've met online Happy mylotting The one

ITs awalys good to talk face to face . but in text you have more time to think what your going to say next and thats good if you dont no the percion well

I have online friends that are close as good to offline friends, people I went to online college with and some other people I met online, you can always chat with them on web cam with live voice kind of like being in person in a way. Either way I think the friendship is still great.

Neither yes or no. You can assumed a friend online to be honest even you trust your soul to this unknown person. EB would be the solution if the person is located near your area but if this guy live in other country just stick to the friendship you mold together. Btw, i don't have close offline friends.

If I tell about myself. I think online friend will be a good as offline friend. Because I myself really good to someone else that I find comfortable as companion and I promise am a good friend online or offline...I don't about the others if that online friend will good as offline...Friends for me is forever and not last longer...

I think we can not deny the possibility. But it is rather difficult! I have some online friends, but not many.

I guess it really depends on the person who is the friend. It does not really matter whether he is online or offline. If he is nice person he is most probably a nice friend in both.

I prefer offline friends, but enjoy online friends as well.