the 21 Questions thread got me thinking... how many of you here see the connections you make here in a "real" light. what I'm asking... those you get really close to and even meet... do you see them as true friendships made?

this is something that I've always had mixed signals about on a general wide scale when observing everyone...

discuss?

Natisse said:

absoluteley.

cborgman said:

lol care to elaborate?

Very real. Before it happened i didn't think it was possible to make friends or even love a person from a forum or chat room like you do outside of here. But you can and on so many levels.
There are many here i am proud to call friend and some i love truly. Of course there are others i would gladly set fire too so i guess it evens out in the end.

I'm split down the middle by this one.

I love people I've talked to : PurpleThunder, Muse, Fauxie, the Chrises, to name a few.

But I'm not sure if I love them becuase of the distance that the Internet affords me, and that in real life, we just wouldn't click the same , or that it's just a sign of a certain loneliness.

Some of my connections here have been more transient, folks I like a whole lot but rarely connect with outside this site.

But then are the others. Folks who I have become very close to and I know will be friends with long after my time here on the org.

I've made some very close friendships here... some of the closest friendships I'll ever have maybe. some have gone astray over time others have soured which leaves me wondering what was there in the first place

also I have to keep in mind that people can be VERY different online to what they're like in person... some I've met are COMPLETELY different lol all of it makes it a challenge to sift through the words on the computer and find the meaning of what's behind it

i would say that most of the friendships i have here don't extend outside of the internet with one exception. i think i have a hard time connecting with someone without their physical presence. Once i have connected with someone it doesn't matter so much but it's hard for me to have an actual gounded relationship (friendship and otherwise) without it.

endorphin74 said:

ditto.

though, I think its way different with the folks i've gotten to know outside of just words on the screen. bascially, posting and interacting here has been a jumping off point to meet in 'real life' those people I connect with. And while you'll always have some 'better' connections than others, I've yet to have a bad experience.

definitely. some extremely real friendships have come to me from this place.

mdiver said:

rhymes with cats

It's also a strange thing when something happens and you move out of the "comfort zone" and "good books"...that's a very good test of what's real and what's not. you learn REAL quick who's a true friend and what's been bullshit all along

Natisse said:

Nope, but I am sure that would change if I met people offline and hung out with them.

Online friends are just that to me - online friends...

until we meet in person.

Number23 said:

Natisse said:

There are some people here I care for in the same way I would a friend offline, i.e it's real. Then there are others whose opinions I respect even though there is no discernible friendship.

LleeLlee said:

oh goodness, totally. I have a great deal of respect for certain people here, even those I don't know all that well...

Natisse said:

Absolutely...and it's just like anything else...we gravitate to those we have most in common with or are attracted to for whatever reason and others we keep as casual aquaintances. In orgland, the former are those I form "real" bonds with...the latter usually stay as Internet buddies

great thread ...i'll be back after my dentist appt

Mach said:

good luck

Actually, the thing I notice most about the org is the sexual tension.


I wish it were joke

Imago said:

I think we just need to all shag one another and get it over with.

OK I'm gonna play devils advocate here... those who said yes - do you HONESTLY REALLY think these are lifelong friendships? if you were to ever have a falling out... how strong do you think that bond would be to heal all wounds?

Imago said:

Imago said:

Is it really tension though? I always thought it was just natural, harmless flirting.

CarrieMpls said:

some of it is very real other... just flirting, yes.

Natisse said:

There are a few I've met here that yes, I believe I will know till the day I die. But those are all people I have gone on to know outside of the org as well.

Natisse said:

what I mean is there are some who definately come here to fulfill some kind of need... whether it's in the form of a relationship or sex whatever they're looking for

Natisse said:

honestly, i can't even envision a scenario in which i'd have a disagreement with the folks i'm closest to. whenever we've had differences, the conversation usually goes like this:

me: ...well, that's my opinion.
them: okay, but i disagree.
me: huh.
them: are you hungry?
me: yes.