by Sorah Devlin

Created on: September 27, 2009

I have 130 friends I've never met.

If I were to tell you that 10 years ago, you probably would have thought I needed some psychological help. However, more and more, people are using the internet to develop new friendships and relationships with others... Without even meeting them. If you're looking to make new friends online, it helps to know where to look.

Forums

Have a hobby? There's probably a forum for that. A forum is a gathering place where people who share the same interests meet up online and post about the things they love. Some local news websites often have forums, where people discuss events that are taking place near them. Once you've posted there for awhile, you'll notice that certain other posters may begin to leave an impression on you, allowing an online friendship to develop.

Twitter

Recently, I found out that "Twitter" is actually a shortened version of the sentence "Thoughts Which I Type To Every Reader". This is all Twitter is; you type into the 140 character box anything that's on your mind, and people interested in your comments start following you to see what else you have to say. The more interesting they find you, the more followers you'll end up with. Finding a common interest with others, such as following the same celebrity on the site or talking about the same movies, will most likely lead to mini-conversations via the website. A great way to cultivate your Twitter posts (or "Tweets", as they're referred to) is to simply talk about your day. Just keep in mind, your Twitter page is an open book if you don't set it up as private. Anyone can see what you post, so think of it this way: if you wouldn't say it aloud around others, you probably don't want to put it up.Once you feel comfortable with your new Twitter friends, see how many may be in a location near you. There are events created by Twitter users called "Tweet-ups" that provide an opportunity for people who have been talking via the site to finally meet in person, usually held in a large public location.

Social Networking sites

Again, another hobby and interests based way of meeting new people can be found in Social Networking sites. Places such as Facebook and MySpace are great at helping to introduce you to others with similiar interests, as well as finding old friends you haven't seen in years. Another great feature of these sites are the "Suggested Friends". This is where the website will check to see if any of the people you've recently added seem to share a common friend.

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>