When on-line friends want to meet in person

Happyflowerlady said:
I have only had this happen once, and it was a very good thing. The lady was someone I met and interacted with right here on this forum, named Ina.
She had just bought an iPad and had no idea how to use it, so I offered to help her and gave her my email address, and we wrote back and forth, and then progressed to video chats as she learned how to do that with her iPad.

Along the way, her husband became very sick and then died, and Ina asked if she could come and visit me and my husband. She was calling me every day by then, and the diversion of the trip from Texas to Alabama helped her a lot. She drove out here with her little dog, Izzy, and spent almost a week visiting with us.

After that we remained the best of friends until Ina herself passed away a few years later. I am glad that I got to know her, and glad that she came out to visit me. She was a very special person in my life.


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TTU Tuba Ensemble: Song for Ina​

 
When Google Buzz/Plus was a thing, there were a few meetups for the locals where I live. Around 15 would show up and we shot darts,played pool, or just gabbed. It was fun. Strange things is when Google pulled the plug on Plus everyone scattered to different online platforms and lost touch with each other.
 
Many years ago when I was young and so was the internet I joined a message board called OWBB. Mainly younger older women! Lol. Those of us that could arranged a trip to Branson, Missouri. I ordered pink baseball caps and when we all met we recognized each other by our hats. It was a great time, everyone got along as we did online. Sadly, life took over, the BB was taken. I wonder where everyone went? But it's fine. Good memories and not enough enthusiasm to embark on any trips.
 
My husband and I played group games on line together for many years. Began with a Spades Club and then into Alliance War games. At first it was just type chat. After 4 years of our team being together we set up voice chat.
Now that is where the kinks begin to show. It's very hard to disguise your real self in voice. Things just pop out along with emotions.
Changing from type to voice was very eye opening on some people and they began to drop from the game.
I have friends in England I was fortunate to be able to meet and invite to the states later. I have a dear friend I ended up buying her car when she
had to quit driving (still have it).
We had a Lake Tahoe week trip with our Spades Team in the same 7 bedroom house (all meeting for the 1st time, husband/wife members) That was so much fun, even my Mom came on that with us.
You have to be very selective, very careful yes. We were very fortunate to meet such wonderful people and have great memories with them.
Meeting in person is not for everyone and there were many I would not want to meet and I sure wouldn't meet them unless we had voice or video chat...never just typed chat.
We knew these people, played the game daily with them for 10+ years, shared life pain, joy and all it holds together in that time.
It's not for everyone, but I am glad my Husband and I were some that tried it.
 
hollydolly said:
I don't know about that, I thik everyone so far that I've met in both coutntires forum, with the exception of 2 grifters.... would most certainly want to pay if they were going to be hosted.. whether anyone would accept is another thing.. but I can't thibk of anyone that I've met who would try a trick like that..

That said.. the worst people are family. I spent years hosting members of my family in Spain who just thought it was a free holiday, and of course they'd want to be taken here and there, and be eating out a lot.. at my expense... I had to work, so I couldn't keep taking them everywhere for 2 weeks.. and so they'd spend the day using my pool and facilities, then I'd get home tired, and they'd want to go party at late night restaurants and bars
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I agree on the family statement, I have had more family do loads more damage to me than online friends ever did.
 

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