Can online friends be as good as offline friends? How?

I have an online friend that's been a better friend to me than most of my offline friends. A friend is a friend as far as I'm concerned ... it's irrelevant whether it's on or offline.

There are two really incredible friends ive had in my life, one was offline growing up as a child/teenager, and one i met online as an teenager and we're now adults and see each other offline and online, and i can honestly say either online or offline both friendship meant equally the same. We still made each other laugh and have memories and suported each other online as much as we do offline now, which is what friendship really is. The plus side of offline is you can visit places together but a friend is a friend however you communicate. If a person makes you feel real emotion and you care for each other, then who is to say it isn't real

I don't get why people call "offline" friends "real" because that isn't always the case.

People are people; online and off. Some will be good friends, others will not. Some are not as they pretend to be, others are exactly how they show themselves. Some will stab you in the back and steal your boyfriend, others you can trust with your purse.

The important thing to remember no matter where you are making friends is to be careful. Never assume someone has your best interest at heart until you get to know them really well. Meeting people online is like meeting people in a bar or at camp; you're thrown into a controlled situation that operates outside of daily living. Only the test of time will prove whether what seem to be real friends are.

As long as both online friends are being really truthful about themselves, people are capable of making very good friends, others that are similar to ourselves, have the same thoughts and values in life, it can be very good for you - but unlike a friend that stands right by your side, they do not have that physical touch.

Often though after a while online pals will get to meet each other, even if your hundreds of miles apart, that in turns gets you meeting other new people and making even more friends. This sort of situation though works best when your both the same sex.

You can meet guys this way too - but be careful, never give away your home address, or any of your personal details - there are men that use the Internet to just find someone for unsavoury purposes, it's a whole different game then. So be careful and be wise.

Online has been my favourite way of making friends for years. I met my current real-life boyfriend online when I was twelve, now I'm 18, he's 21, and we live together happily. I couldn't want a better man to be honest!

And as for my online friends, they are my best friends. My best offline friends all lost contact with me, yet the ones online have just stuck, and I plan on meeting them one day too.

I think finding out the personality of someone before the looks is so important, and so beneficial to a good friendship/relationship. You may meet people you love talking to who you would have never approached in person, whether the reasons were down to them seeming too ugly for you, too confident for you, too weird for you... Online, it's back to basics. You can communicate without having an unrealistic biased opinion when it comes to what your eyes see.

Love it!

I think they can; There's a Korean girl my age I've been speaking to online for a couple years, and we have conversations and tell each other things I would tell my offline friends, and I like her just as much, but obviously I can't exactly meet up with her for a day out haha

Im batman

with a few, yes...its just another way to meet people..we already have this place in common and wallah...some good friendships have come from it...I talk to one of the best people I have met in life on the phone all the time, that I met here, and who knows what can happen down the line...anything is possible...I spend more time with my online friends than I do with my offline friends, as I slack here from work all day...and I have to say my online friends are there for me anytime I need them...especially my most favorite one.

this is just another form of communication...it turns into more than just the internet...so yayayayy

Yes and No.

Yes because online friends allow closer integration of relationship through sharing opinions with confidence (because it's not face to face). But don't misunderstand! Online friends may open up and start very smoothly but can't go further then being just friends (in another words can't make best friends or really close friends) and this is because humans like to interact to one another for greater integration of relationships..

No because online friends doesn't know you in details.. Maybe this can be a good thing if you are a bad communicator or not-so-confident and vice versa. But interactive friends tend to know you better and can have greater fun that leads to being closer relationships...

i believe that yes absolutely

but not to have online friends INSTEAD of offline friends

there are various horror stories going round that include the internet but oftentimes there ARE warnings there despite high expectations

the difference with real life contacts is that it is far easier to double check people before taking them into your heart than it is online - as well as having other contacts in common to double check your instincts with

having said that - online friends are online when they are up for a conversation - and offline when they do not so there is far less chance of talking to them when they are 'busy' - unlike offline contacts

also if i find it hard to sleep - offline contacts wont appreciate being rung up at silly oclock in the morning - an online contact from another time zone would not struggle with being buzzed online (with their handle being showing up as availible)

also we have been abroad on holiday going to far flung parts of the world - and fitting in meeting online contacts who are invaluable sources of local knowledge - in some rather beautiful settings such as - niagra falls, grand canyon, petrified forests, etc etc.

i have yet to be disappointed by anyone i have met face to face after having got to know them online - i also have found that even if i do not have a picture of them i recognise them when i meet them.

the key is to not have too high expectations, be honest and expect honesty in return, double check people with other online contacts (like you would with folks offline) and be accountable at your end of the computer - very important!

Absolutely.

I am really close to some of my online friends. We talk on the phone, text, send each other presents etc. They are no different to my 'real-life' friends. The internet to me, is just another way of meeting people. I've also had a couple of fantastic real life realtionships with people I've met online and one not so good. Same as I've had lovely boyfriends in real life and some not so good.

I've met my best friend online. We've not met in person yet. We've seen each other on webcam. But I have a closer friendship with them than I do with any of my offline friends.

Every one is different.