Online Friends

So, I know I'm not the only one who has heard time and time again that you have to be careful with who you talk to on the internet. You never really know who is behind the computer screen. I have to say I do agree with this to an extent. Unfortunately there are people out there who do take advantage of the cyber world to fool other people as jokes and for devious reasons. I mean there's even a TV show about it. But that is not always the case.

I have learned that there are people that you can meet online that are genuine and can become good friends. Lucky for me I have had that good fortune. Most of the time people go online to find and  interact with others who share their common interests. Especially if you don't have someone in your everyday life that shares your interest, which was pretty much the case for me. It started off with joining message boards and over the years evolved into the likes of Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and finally Tumblr. Sites like these opened up a whole new world of interaction across the globe.

I've been told by a few people that those I interact with are not really friends and you can't really trust that they are who they say they are. I'm typically very cautious with this because there is truth there, but I have been interacting with some of them for so long that to me they have become my friends. Hard to believe for some but it's the truth. My experience started when I began using Tumblr. I was looking for a place where I could see pretty things of my favorite actors, shows, and singers, and other interests. There I found that a bunch of people who were like me as far as our interests. Just by hitting the follow button your introducing yourself and opening a line of communication. I started messaging with a few and the friendships started.

From there it carried over to Twitter and even email. It has been two years and I couldn't have imagined the kinds of friendships I have gained. At this point we can talk about everything. It's no longer just about what happened on our fave show, who our favorite celebrity is dating, or what new single just came out from our fave singer. We are now comfortable enough where we share the stresses of our day. What's bugging us about our daily life and other things. I'll be honest have our conversations daily have made me smile so much more.I sometimes find myself keeping contact much more frequently then with my friends in real life.

This is not to say that my friends I physically know have become any less important or forgotten. I value them all but in different ways. All in all I was lucky to learn that you can make friends online and it can be genuine. You just have to be smart about it. Also keep in mind I am a grown woman. More precaution should be taken with teens and children. I don't think kids should be going online and just start making friends with strangers. I hope that parents do monitor their children's' online activities ensuring that there is nothing shady going on. We do need to be safe.

I hope this made some sense. :)

Peace, Love, and Hugs!