[Marie5656]

Online Friendships vs real Life friendships

Alot has been said here, and elsewhere about online vs real life friendships. Some see them as different from each other...others see a friendship as a friendship..whether you leave across the street, or across the world from the person.

I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I have often said, not here publicly, but elsewhere, and privately here..that I often have tried to separate the two.
I have tried to view myself as being "truer" to my RL friends and aquaintances...and seeing my online interactions as simply that, friendly conversations with folks I have met throgh the internet. Rather like the pen pals we had when we were young.

Would I go out of my way to mee people I know solely through the internet...I am not sure. If Criss lived, and was hospitalized, closer to me..say within a couple of hour drive, then yes, I would hve taken the time to go and pay her a visit, once she was well enough.

If someone from this community were to PM me and say "Hey, I am going to be passing through Rochester, lets get together for a visit"...I would be Mapquesting the directions to my house for them.

But beyond that...I am not sure. I really LIKE the people here, and in some way, consider many of you friends. But I see it as a different type of friendship than RL.

OK, I am speaking as someone who has never had alot of friends...mostly aquaintances. I am probably friendlier with more people here, than in real life. But that is just me. I do not open up easily. I sometimes wonder if a face to face meeting with people would even go well.

I do not hide the real me here, or at least I try not to. And I would never embellish who I am just to score points. I am just often uncomfortable face to face.

Am I making any sense at all here?