Having friends on the internet to the exclusion of real life friends is certainly bad but meeting people on the internet does not preclude getting to know them in real life. Location isn’t even much of a barrier any more. I did a programming competition with a guy in Canada—I’m in the UK—and he invited me over there when I later publicly complained that my job was starting to suck on a forum. I went for 3 weeks and had an awesome time.
Even if you never meet any of the people you talk to on the internet in real life. So what? You still made a load of internet buddies. And there’s great value in having a little roster of people you can turn to for advice, guidance, and opinion. The system he’s using is already self-selecting for those who are open enough to be suitable for such things.
From that post it is pretty clear that you have
nearly no experience with human beings
How is that clear? You can speculate, sure. But I just see someone motivated to make connection with people.
who consider writing to 400 people for no real
reason creepy
Creepy for some. It depends how paranoid you are.
and call one-month-old-relationships not friendship
He wouldn’t be the first blogger in the world prone to exaggeration.
people are out there who want to gain from your
disadvantage. Be careful, please.
Yes, there are scum bags, con artists, and assholes. We’ve all met them. But isolating yourself away from all people just because of those bad ones is not a good idea. The skill you need to work out who you like and who you don’t is what’s important and you can only learn that by practicing, which means exposing yourself to lots of new people. How else can you learn? Besides the author is doing things in a pretty safe way by getting to know people over the internet and with Skype first. FUD and attempts to build a fortress around yourself are actually dangerous.
Even if you don’t agree with me. I just prefer to live this way: I prefer to believe it’s better to connect with people; I prefer confidence to shy timidness; I prefer to look enthusiastic when meeting a new person over fearful judgment. All the other things eat away at me and turn me into a scared person. I hate that.
With the help of skype, you can see body language, tone (non-verbal communication) almost as well as real life now.
Location isn't a barrier anymore and that's what makes the internet so powerful.
>The system he’s using is already self-selecting for those who are open enough to be suitable for such things.
I couldn't have said it any better.
Most of the 50 people I've talked I've connected with for at least six months.
The way I make messages online pretty much ignores small talk. I try to steer the conversation to that depth as quickly as possible. If someone is willing to tell you about their deep experiences (and it makes logic sense) then they're most likely authentic.
Comments
Having friends on the internet to the exclusion of real life friends is certainly bad but meeting people on the internet does not preclude getting to know them in real life. Location isn’t even much of a barrier any more. I did a programming competition with a guy in Canada—I’m in the UK—and he invited me over there when I later publicly complained that my job was starting to suck on a forum. I went for 3 weeks and had an awesome time.
Even if you never meet any of the people you talk to on the internet in real life. So what? You still made a load of internet buddies. And there’s great value in having a little roster of people you can turn to for advice, guidance, and opinion. The system he’s using is already self-selecting for those who are open enough to be suitable for such things.
How is that clear? You can speculate, sure. But I just see someone motivated to make connection with people. Creepy for some. It depends how paranoid you are. He wouldn’t be the first blogger in the world prone to exaggeration. Yes, there are scum bags, con artists, and assholes. We’ve all met them. But isolating yourself away from all people just because of those bad ones is not a good idea. The skill you need to work out who you like and who you don’t is what’s important and you can only learn that by practicing, which means exposing yourself to lots of new people. How else can you learn? Besides the author is doing things in a pretty safe way by getting to know people over the internet and with Skype first. FUD and attempts to build a fortress around yourself are actually dangerous.Even if you don’t agree with me. I just prefer to live this way: I prefer to believe it’s better to connect with people; I prefer confidence to shy timidness; I prefer to look enthusiastic when meeting a new person over fearful judgment. All the other things eat away at me and turn me into a scared person. I hate that.
Thanks for the great insight.
With the help of skype, you can see body language, tone (non-verbal communication) almost as well as real life now.
Location isn't a barrier anymore and that's what makes the internet so powerful.
>The system he’s using is already self-selecting for those who are open enough to be suitable for such things.
I couldn't have said it any better.
Most of the 50 people I've talked I've connected with for at least six months.
The way I make messages online pretty much ignores small talk. I try to steer the conversation to that depth as quickly as possible. If someone is willing to tell you about their deep experiences (and it makes logic sense) then they're most likely authentic.