Deals.Woot

Have made a couple of friends online that I've met offline - fellow writers - easy when you have something in common like that. They're good people, the kind that become lifelong good friends.

Had one I met through a blog who recently was discovered to be luring roommate candidates through Craigslist, kicking them out a few days after they moved in and taking out a protective order against them so they couldn't come back to get their belongings, and selling all of it. Needless to say, have cut off all contact with him. Very scary stuff.

Absolutely. Most of the people I have never met in person, but talk to them almost every day. Instant messaging is great for that.

@w00tgurl: Here - a box of tissues for you. And 1 sheet each of BACON, mustache & cupcake paper. Wrap it up! Please remember that I cyber-like you, even though you take advantage of that BACON thing. I would never to that... though I do love BACON.

@nastyducky: wow was the guy arrested?

I made friends through Xbox360 over 6 years ago. They were the first group of guys to treat/accept me as a "gamer" and not a just a girl on Xbox. Since then I will only play with them or alone. I try hard to maintain that casual relationship even though I've been gaming on PC lately. I have most of them on my Facebook but I've never met any IRL.

They are my "online friends" who are still important enough to keep in contact with. :)

@webfoot08: He's "under investigation". The Sheriff's office in that county is trying to track down a couple of the people he victimized. That's the last I heard, last week.

Yep, I sure do! Especially as a gamer who has played a lot of Massively Multiplayer Online games in the last 15 years, I've met a lot of people in those games. Overcoming challenges together and spending hours together, regardless of it being a game, can get you pretty familiar with people you wouldn't have met otherwise! I don't have a lot of online-only friends, but I do have a few that I've been in touch with on and off for many years - and some I talk to almost every day. Whether I've met them in person or not - if we share common interests, its nice to have somebody to talk to. Plenty of great people out there you'd never meet without these online services to bring you together!

As for lots of baby pictures showing up on Facebook - even if its somebody I know in real life, they get hidden on my Facebook pretty quick that way. I mostly use instant messager to keep in touch for reasons like that :)

i'm also shocked at how many people do this.

i can't as i don't find it practical or realistic. however selfish this may sound, part of great friendships is the ability to back each other up in times of need...someone to fallback on and pick you up from that rut. if i fell ill or miserably depressed...how would my online friend comfort me? through letters on my LCD? same thing with celebrations...a barrage of smiling emotes and mechanical IM laughter can't replace one good drinking party or celebratory dinner.

that's just me, though...guess i need physical contacts (no pun intended).

Yes I do. Also met through MMORPG's. I did have 1 or 2 when I used to "journal" but didn't keep in touch.

I love the fact that some of the people I've become friends with, are in different countries (and I'm VERY grateful that they speak/type English!) We've never met in person and will probably never meet in person but through online communication, via games, forums, messengers, including the ability to actually talk to each other (woo for accents!) these friends know more about me then some "friends" I know in real life.

I have 2 Best Friends (if we're going to label!) one I've known for over a decade, we hang out a few times during the year, we email and talk via phone during the week. The other I've known almost as long, met via an online game. We "chat" every day via email/messenger/game, not so much on the phone.

Both have the ability to "back me up in times of need". Letters on my LCD are as sincere as words spoken in person. In fact, those letters on my LCD (CONTINUED)