When on-line friends want to meet in person

Veronica said:
Small world. I had WebTV too. It was great. You could go anywhere on the web and never worry about a virus.
Do you still have your email. I do.

If I did meet up with someone from online it would need to be at a neutral place.
Even with people I know I prefer to meet outside of my house. Im an introvert. Ive only got so much chattiness in me.
And then Im done. When people come to your house you cant say Im done you need to leave. :D
Its much easier to escape when youre outside. :D #sorry #not sorry
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No, Veronica, I don't even remember my WebTV email address. True, we didn't have the security risks with WebTV that we have now. Only thing, it was dial up and very slow. I just accepted that, since I didn't know what fast was in those days.

Another thing about meeting in person, besides all you wrote, is that it would change things between the two people. Once they actually meet, there tends to be an obligation to manage the friendship on a different level.
 

When I was still trail riding, it was not uncommon to meet up with other trail riders I had met on various horse forums.. Some folks were more fun than others.

I always carried a pistol anyway. I grew up in a hunting family, in rattlesnake country and learned to shoot rats at the county dump, so pistols, rifles, and compound bows have always been second nature - sorry to anyone who is offended, but that’s who I am🤠

However, as far as the original question to this thread goes —- Nupe —- not on my grandma’s tintype would I be inclined to meet up with anyone on-line — especially in this day and age.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
No, Veronica, I don't even remember my WebTV email address. True, we didn't have the security risks with WebTV that we have now. Only thing, it was dial up and very slow. I just accepted that, since I didn't know what fast was in those days.

Another thing about meeting in person, besides all you wrote, is that it would change things between the two people. Once they actually meet, there tends to be an obligation to manage the friendship on a different level.
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Yes dial up. I remember that tone when it logged on. Mine was only slow if there was a large picture involved.
I still use my emails. I have "holiday" ones with addresses from Santa/North Pole and the Easter Bunny etc.
I used to send emails to my friend's kids and grands reminding them to be on their best behavior. :D

I can see where things might change. Ive seen people share way too much online. One needs to be mindful that anything posted online is there until some things freeze over.

My main worry would be what if I meet them and theyre not the same as they are online and now they have my contact info and I cant get rid of them. :D
 

Yes, I have had online friends want to meet in person.

A small group of us from another forum met up in Seattle, WA
for lunch and related things. Was a lot of fun and about 10 years
ago. I have Facetimed with online friends, but not for a long while.
I pretty much prefer to keep my online friends as we are online, and
enjoy that way. There are lots of online forum friends and acquaintances
who would like to do regular emailing, (and several of us do) but I have
to pace that OR I'd be online all day trying to catch up, and with my life
off the net as it is, I don't have the time to get too involved with doing so.
 
One of my first and favorite online friends when I was on Eons went to different states and he met with several of our members. It was a wonderful experience for each of the parties involved. I think that was so cool. Eons was special. Many close bonds were formed by those of us on that site and some remain. @feywon is one of my favorite friends from back then, even though we've never met in person. We felt we were left homeless when Eons closed abruptly most of us gravitated to Facebook.

One of my other favorite friends from Eons, then FB said she wanted to meet me badly enough that she would have her daughter (who I now call Sweet Girl) drive to N.Y. so we could meet. I told her to come to Atlantic City instead because it is closer to her home in PA. They stayed in a suite at my timeshare.. We spent two fun filled days together. I'm so grateful for that time because now she has dementia. I check in with her son periodically via Facebook to see how she's doing. He recently suggested we try to do a meet up again. He said she has periods of lucidity and has retained her sense of humor. I love this woman!

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Two more friends, one who is also from PA met me and we had lunch. We then walked around the timeshare. She knew more people than I did. .Turns out she used to work there! The other friend met my sister and me for lunch in Brigantine at a restaurant on the beach. Coincidentally, she owned at the same timeshare that I do. Sadly, she passed away about a year ago. I'm sorry we didn't think to take pictures. There were a couple of other meetings but this has gotten long, so I'll post about them later.

Caryl & Me-EDIT.jpg
 
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againstthegrain said:
^^^Good to read about someone that's not paralyzed by fear as so many on this board appear to be.
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I wouldn’t call it being paralyzed by fear. I would call it being cautious.

I am probably in the top 10 of NOT being paralyzed by fear on this forum, but I will not put myself in front of a bus coming down the road 80 miles an hour just to see if it will stop in time before it hits me.
 
Years ago I started posting on a hiking forum. At some point a group hike was planned in arizona…and I attended. There were a lot of axe murderer jokes. This was the start of many great hikes and friendships. I am so glad I went. It opened a whole world up to me.
 
againstthegrain said:
It's not just this thread it's a constant drumbeat of fear.
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Sadly, I have noticed that and wonder why. Were the individuals always like that or did they get that way as aging has isolated them?

I know someone who has allowed herself to become terrified of birds - so terrified the little songbirds pose a threat in her mind. It started out innocent enough, but she got a lot of attention being “cute” . Over time that evolved into such a ridiculous fear, even her adult children have told her to get over herself.

I do agree that people who subscribe to “Chicken Little The Sky Is Falling”, need to reevaluate themselves but that can be difficult when the psyche is such they can’t overcome fear. I still wear a “No Fear” T-shirt, but the words have faded a bit. My Catahoula/Pit Bull & PitBull take up the slack🤠🤠
 
We can become so cautious that we're afraid to even go outside, or we can choose carefully what sort of risks we're willing to take. These are individual decisions.

"It is a good thing to learn caution from the misfortunes of others". - Publilius Syrus
 
As I posted earlier, drawing a line with not ever physically meeting any acquaintances met online is rigid nonsense. Obviously, there are dangerous web zones, especially on dating sites and anything to do with low morals. That noted, some people are obviously more susceptible to scammers and other fakes with agendas, the rest of us find difficult to understand how they could be so deficient to be manipulated so.
 
I met up with a man that I spoke with online for 15 years. He was married and so am I. He lives in Scotland. I am in the US.
Some might say that we had an emotional affair. I certainly felt close to him and could discuss anything with him. My husband rarely speaks to me and I needed someone. I don’t feel guilty about it at all.
We decided to meet in New York. I brought a friend with me for safety.
We had a great time. It was so different in person! Nothing physical happened between us although there was attraction on both sides.
I never saw him again although we continued to talk online for another 5 years.
I think of him often.
 
againstthegrain said:
Anybody that wants to visit SV, let me know I'll show you around the rivers and mountains or ski a few laps, if winter, and cook a great meal afterwards at my home (there's always the chance you might be the main course, however.)

The touristy stuff, well you're on your own with that.
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Wish I could take you up on this invitation. Sincerely.
 
I'm so blessed with ugly looks that no online friends would bother meeting me in person, and with me having a very active farting tendency, people would not feel comfortable sitting in my lounge wearing a gas-mask. Whooooops, there goes another one. 😊
 
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timoc said:
I'm so blessed with ugly looks that no online friends would bother meeting me in person, and with me having a very active farting tendency, people would not feel comfortable sitting in my louge wearing a gas-mask. Whooooops, there goes another one. 😊
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Too many beans perhaps?

Beans, Beans are good for your heart, the more you eat them, the more you .....
the more you .... the better you feel so, let's eat beans for every meal! 🤭:ROFLMAO:

I am not sure if the f..t word is offensive or not so, I have erred on the side of caution ;)
 
I met about 14 people who all belonged to the same forum I was on ( it closed about 7 years ago ) due to owners husbands death) and no one else willing to put their hand up to keep it running

it was a Aussie forum but had world wide members , we even took part in voluntary swaps once or twice a year it was either postcards / bookmarks / or Christmasy themed items. ( low cost ) the forum also encouraged group meet ups in each state of Australia which was arranged by a member of each state … who put their hand up to volunteer to open their home for the meet up we’d bring along swaps like plants / items we’d made~jams / chutneys

( one lady gave me 3 beautiful soft as soft hand knitted ( by her ) pure cotton face washers) and she still sends me a pack of 2 each Christmas.

I attended 3 in the city suburbs and I’m still in contact to this day with half the members I met some 12 years ago.
We send each other cards for birthdays 🎈 some live interstate 🛣️
 
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