Benefits of Successful Social Networking

Friendships are one of life's great joys. Over the course of my life I've gained and lost friends for a variety of reasons, but mainly by simply losing contact after moving away. This is now much harder since we can use the Internet to remain in contact. I have friends on four continents right now with whom I speak regularly, due to the magic of the Internet.

Normal procedures, like email and mailing lists, are fine for people whom you already know. Meeting new people is somewhat more complex. For those circumstances, we have social networking sites. I have friends I only see in person at conventions, and the social networking sites are excellent for that. I can get bulletins on convention attendance and other things in their lives, and do the same in return. I've been introduced to friends of friends on these sites, and found mutual interests.

Right now, I'm providing a friendly ear to a woman I've known for a year and a half and meet every six months as she deals with an ulcer and a broken ankle. This has led me to contact some of her co-workers. In the old days, I'd be pretty much helpless for information until she posted a letter via snail mail, while now I can get updates as quickly as she can bring herself to sit down and type.

Several times, people attempting to find old friends or even relatives who have names similar to mine have contacted me. While this hasn't worked out so far, the next time might actually be an old friend successfully tracking me down.

In the other direction, I can seek out old friends or people I might know of through work or others. There are several people I've also added to my various friends' lists this way and some have led to real friendships. Occasionally, I've even found that I've had friends in common this way.

I've even had the experience of meeting somebody for the first time after knowing them only through the Internet. Being a cautious sort, I've always made sure that these were as safe as I could arrange, for both of us involved. But I've not had a bad experience this way.

It does happen that real or potential friends may have issues that can be divisive between them. This can be dealt with by well meaning adults with mutual respect and perhaps agreement to avoid specific subjects. Friends who respect each other can deal with disagreements, even over the Internet.

It is important to address honesty. It is one thing to leave off information that you think might be a potential danger, such as your mailing address. It is another to insert fake information such as pretending to be someone else. I doubt the attempts to keep lies that pile up as you make things up to hide your real identity is going to be fun. Certainly it will be a lot of work to keep this up for long, and the payoff seems ephemeral at best. When compared to the joys of real friendship, this seems weak at best.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/ By Alan King Looking for a great Social Networking Site [http://www.mycirclepal.com]? Check out the author's website at [http://www.mycirclepal.com]

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