by Tonya Hillukka

Created on: April 28, 2009

Pal, chum, buddy, crony. A friend is someone who is attached to another person by feelings of affection or personal regard (Dictionary.com). Meeting and keeping a true friend is not always easy, especially not in "real life". Meeting friends online may be much easier to do, but how will you know if they your true friends?

If you have never met an online friend face-to-face, it may be difficult to know for sure. Here are some tips to follow when meeting friends online, from meeting new people to following safety precautions when communicating with them.

The first step to making friends online is joining social networking websites, like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; this helps both with keeping in touch with old friends and meeting new ones. You will be able to read your friends' posts on these websites, as well as add your own posts and photos. Join networks to find people from your school or your hometown.

Also, join groups within the social networking websites to meet friends online who have similar interests to yours. If you are interested in a particular cause, join a group that supports this cause. Otherwise, begin your own group and add the group's members to your online Friends list (after checking out their profiles).

Start a web log (blog) to meet friends online who have similar interests. In your blogs, write about topics that interest you. People with these same interests will naturally find you and follow your work.

If you really enjoy writing, join a writing community. Here, you will be able to make friends online with other writers. For those of you who do not like to write very much, Google a topic of your interest in order to read online blogs about this topic.

Post comments to forums on a regular basis. This will allow you to meet and have interactions with friends online about topics that interest you. Perhaps you will even meet a friend or two. Another option is to join chat rooms for meeting friends online.

Keep in touch with friends you have met by talking to them more often use direct message services on social networking sites, e-mail accounts, and instant messaging services. Yahoo! Messenger and Windows Live Messenger are two such instant messenger services for keeping in touch with friends online.

Always use safety precautions when meeting friends online. Never give out your age or other personal information, such as your phone number or address to anyone you do not personally know and trust. Try to picture the person with whom you are chatting online. If his or her behavior seems odd to you, leave that person immediately. It is also a good idea to never make plans for meeting with anyone with whom you have just met online.

Making friends is not always easy. In fact, it can be very difficult at times. This is where the internet comes in; it makes meeting people so much easier. However, this does not necessarily mean these people are your friends. Use the tips provided above for meeting and keeping friends online.

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