Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bloggy Friends...

...okay so today I want your opinion on blog friends and meeting people off the Internet? First I'll tell you why I'm asking then I'll tell you my opinion.

Everytime I mention that I'm doing something with my "blog friends," I get this double take and the typical, "So you've never met them?" or "You met them through your blog." Then on NYE, when we went to the Blues game, Matt asked, "So you met all these people online?" It's not so much the words that people say as the way they say them. What they're really thinking is, "OMG! You're meeting someone that you've never before in real life?! You're going to get your head cut off!"

So now for my thoughts...
1. How is finding people you have things in common with any different than picking up a guy/girl at the bar or going to a local runners/tennis/book club and meeting people you've never met before?
2. I don't see any harm in making bloggy friends if you're smart about it. I mean I'm not going to give out my address on my blog and make an open invitation for you all to come over then again, I don't even invite over my IRL friends!
3. I call my "blog friends" my "blog friends" but in reality, they're just my friends now, its just easier to "group" them together that way. I love my bloggy friends and I'm so happy I've met you. I feel like each of you, whether I've met you or not, has come into my life for a reason either to help me with weight loss, offer me advice, listen to my stories about my "nemisis" or just to give me some good laughs! If I didn't have bloggy friends then my social calendar would be pretty empty.

So anyways, I just wanted to say thanks to my bloggy friends for being awesome and to find out what your thoughts were.

13 comments :

Jillian said...

I have gotten kind of the same reactions. The way I see it is that the internet is just another means of branching out and meetign new people. Just like with naything else, you ahve to be safe, smart, and careful.

Julie said...

I guess I'm lucky in the sense that Keith & I met via online dating so when I say I met so and so from a blog site or something, he's okay with it as long as I'm being safe. I have different groups of friends and sometimes it is hard to merge them (like what I'm doing this Friday and once a month now) but I'm going to try and see what happens. I've met some pretty awesome people in some unique ways (Jen is one) and I wouldn't trade friendships for anything. As you get older its harder to meet people so when I get a chance to meet new people (like you) I'll jump at it :)

Sarah said...

I definitely feel a little awkward about saying I met people online. Usually I don't make any reference to it unless someone really pushes the issue. Since I met a lot of internet people while I was planning my wedding, I think that feels even more awkward. I mean, that was like six years ago, and I do sometimes still participate in the site (not the wedding section, but still.)

Adie said...

I know what you are talking about. With the Thanksgiving meal people thought I was crazy inviting my blog friend and her friend. But it seems no different to me. We all meet people randomly and people can lie to us in person just as easy as online. Also without blogging I would not have my BBFF! have a great day!

Meredith said...

Okay, so I used to work occasionally with a special division of the police force/FBI that dealt with cyber crimes. Working with them made me WAY over cautious in terms of blog friends, and for a long time, I wouldn't participate in any giveaways, or meet any of my blog friends.

Recently, Justin and my mom have been encouraging me to be a little more open with people that I've "known" on the blog world for awhile...they say that they don't see a blogging friendship as any different than the pen-pals of our grandparents, and lots of those pen pals eventually met and became "real life" friends as well...

d.a.r. said...

I definitely feel a little awkward about it. Depending on who I am talking to.

My husband still thinks I am nuts, but he appreciates that the girls I have met in real life via blogging have been some of the best friends I have ever had. So, I guess he is just grateful that I haven't met a strangler or something :)

Stephany said...

I can understand why other people not involved in blogging would be wary of meeting people you've only met online. I think it's different from a book club or picking up a girl at the bar in the sense that you don't know who's behind the screen. Yes, it's a little outdated but you still have to be careful.

I've actually never met a blog friend IRL (BOO!) but I am definitely going to try to meet more blog friends in 2011. I'm not sure what I would say to anyone. I would probably only tell my mom and be careful about where I met them. ;)

Also, I think it's totally different meeting blog friends than a friend you meet in a chat room (do they even have those anymore?) or on a dating site because we know the person better. Not many 70-year-old men are impersonating a 20-something blogger for months and months at a time, ya know? We tell each other our stories, share pictures, and give lots of advice and encouragement to one another! You are much more than a blog friend to me, Alyssa! You're a true friend! :)

(OK. I totally contradicted myself in paragraph 1 by what I wrote in paragraph 3. Whatever. This is turning into a novel!)

Faith said...

I have a great group of friends made up of people I've met online. I'm even having dinner tonight with a group of girls that met through the nest years ago. Some have mixed in with existing friends that I've met in the "traditional" way & others have stayed separate. I've never seen any problem with it & have been lucky that others in my life haven't really questioned it it thought it was weird. I even joke about it with others. Everyone you've met at one point in your life has been a stranger, so I don't see how meeting a friend you've made online is any different. Like Meredith said, we're modern day pen pals!

I do feel a bit awkward talking about a blog friend that I've never met before. I've stopped trying to explain the relationship in those cases & just say friend. I feel if it's someone that I've been reading & commenting on for awhile, they do the same back & we've even emailed a few times they can be called my friend. Hopefully I'm not the only "crazy" that assumes this, but it's also easier to say & maybe explain later. Many of these are "friends" I'd hope to meet if we were ever in the same place at the same time.

Aimee said...

Well, I obviously think there's nothing wrong with meeting friends online. :-) I think you're awesome, too, and am glad to have met you! Looking forward to seeing you at the Trivia Night this weekend!

Angie said...

Considering I met my husband on Craigslist :) I don't think it's weird! I get more of a reaction when I tell people where Aaron and I met than I do if I say I'm gonna go meet one of my bloggy friends. I love bloggy friends. It's kinda like "paying for your friends" only it's free, right sis? LOL I know you might be the only one to get that one ;)

Cecilia said...

I really don't think it's a big deal so long as you do it in a safe manner which I believe we all have. If it happens to come up that these are online friends, people just call me a nerd. :o) I already know I'm a huge nerd.

Angie said...

I love you too girlfriend! I love all my bloggy friends, I have made quite a through either through my blog or via the website I used to plan my wedding. I even met my hubs online. It's just another way to meet people, you just gotta be safe about it. I've never had a problem. Love the internets!

Jen said...

If it were not for the lovely internet, I would not be married and I would have amazing friends and kick butt 1/2 marathon training buddy.

See, blogger gal pals are tops in my book!