by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: January 09, 2009   Last Updated: December 26, 2011

People are on the go more than ever now. Many people spend hours a day in front of the computer screen working. When you work for companies that are large corporations, you may have just a few hours a day completely to yourself. This is where social networking really comes in handy. If you have joined an online community because the internet seems the only way you can have a social life these days then you may find that the people you call friends are right there in your computer. The question is, are the people in these social networking sites really your friends?

Social networking comes in many forms. There are sites dedicated for the soul purpose of chatting. There are sites dedicated to dating, hobbies and careers. If you can name it, you can probably find some type of social network that covers it. When you find that one site that you just can't stay away from you have found a home of sorts. You get to know the people that frequent it. You begin to have camaraderie with people that you have never met.

There are millions of people a day that sign on to their accounts looking for someone they know. It's funny that you can feel that you know someone that you never met yet it happens all the time. In the 1990's chat rooms became a huge hit. I remember this because I was a part of it all. It is very easy to get addicted to it. It's easy to sit for hours on end in front of the computer "talking" to your "friends.

There are guidelines that you should follow when you are beginning to go on the internet for your social time. Here are a few tips and tricks that I learned early on that may be of help to you in figuring out if these people are really your friends or not:

1. Pictures- This is a huge must have. Although you can never be sure how old those pictures might be, you should still be on the look out. If you are talking to someone that will not post a picture or will not email a picture, stay away from them. This should send off huge warning bells in your head. Those that will not share a picture are usually dishonest about something or they have no interest in really getting to know anyone. Keep in mind how many people go to these sites looking to make others believe something that just isn't true.

2. Keep your "ears" open- Look for signs of lies that may have been told. Keep a running "score" to make sure that what they told you yesterday is what they are telling you today. Again, online fakers run rampant in the internet world. Don't get caught up with those.

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