Real Relationships in a Digital World?

Yes, they do count. I have an ongoing difference of opinion with my sister who says online only friends aren't 'real' friends. She's a cynical person anyway and figures most people online are probably lying about themselves anyway. I have some online friends I've known since 2002 - American expats that I never got to meet up with. Some I'll never get to meet as they've moved back to the US. I have other friends that I've known online since 2006 when we were all on Eons forum for baby boomers. Finally met another one of them in person last summer - and my sister was there as well. We agreed she was a lovely person, very sweet, a fellow photographer.
 

I've had numerous online friendship, and where possible have actually met them, in person; no surprises, they were as expected.
 
Of course these are "real" relationships. But what do you think of the fantasy of having a Senior Forums Convention? We all show up somewhere and party hardy together. Should we wear name tags or guess?:partytime:
 
Sounds fun Glinda!

When I belonged to Eons baby boomer forum many had big meetups, even a big trip to the Florida Keys. I met 3 members at various times when they traveled to Scotland. Quite a lot of us have found each other on Facebook after Eons went bust.

In the UK there have been many expat meetups, some very large. The forum was also anonymous using nicknames. I met a lot at a big party in Linlithgow in Scotland in 2003. It was a central location for those in Scotland. I think about 30 of us were there. I'm still friends with several.

London always has lots of these parties or family picnics.
 
I have some wonderful 'real' friends on line. I don't have to see a person to befriend them. Many years ago I belonged to a Chatroom, and I got chatting to a person ( male) and we both had the same type of very weird humour.

He was on the heart transplant waiting list, he was only 34 years old, he was married but no children. Over a period of seven years we talked for hours, as I am in Oz and he was in the US our time difference worked well then. He was always afraid to go to sleep in case he didn't wake up. So I would stay online with him until the sun came up. I got to know his wife really well and we got to talk a lot on the phone too.

He wrote poetry and so did I so we would share those musings with each other. I got a parcel one day from his wife who had put our poems together in bookworm and had them bonded with a lovely cover. Something I will never part with. Then I got an email to tell me that she had come home from work and he was in his chair but had passed away.

To say I was devastated was an understatement, also my husband as he had been part of this friendship. He was cremated and half of his ashes were scattered at the beach where loved to go and the other half his wife brought them here to Australia, so we got to meet physically and we put them under a tree that we planted with permission in National Park.

This represents his life, it gives shelter, sustenance and it signifies life. So every time I go there I think of his life, not his death. I am so thankful for those years of friendship, he was able to tell me of his fears that he couldn't share with his wife because of how hard that would have been for her. I could tell her after his passing of how much he loved her, how much she had brought into his life and he never wanted to leave her.

So yes these friendships are very real.
 
Thank you Josia, those were very special years for me, I have photograph of him which is next to my computer and I swear sometimes he grins at me when I am not looking.
 

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