Comments on: Part 4: We’re the Best of Friends

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:35:05 +0000

Hi Skip, thanks for writing. Sure, that was a pretty loaded statement for me to make.

I think, over the years of traveling from my parents house to living in 5 different cities over the next 10 years, his friendship stayed with me all that time.

This leads me to believe that my online friend caught a lot of the casual minutiae I experienced during that period.

Sure, there were times that I was lonely. I was a student and on the computer way too much – working, writing, or just goofing off.

There were also times – like now – when I’m not lonely at all.

Thanks for the feedback. While I try not to sound like “snooty yuppie drivel” and create a place for social discourse here, it’s good to hear feedback on the tonality I’m presenting.

By: Nicole

Nicole — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:23:46 +0000

Jessie, that’s a great point. How different is chatting online from, say, writing letters? Chatting online fosters a conversation as it’s two-way and in real time. It creates an authentic connection whose authenticity may not be necessarily questioned when compared to an in-real-life scenario – because each are different. I wonder how this affects the aspects of what we consider a “relationship” then and on what level.

By: Skip Lowe

Skip Lowe — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:20:03 +0000

“Yet for someone I’ve hung out with for maybe an hour total in person, he probably knows more about me than anyone.”

Wow, that is sad. You must either be very lonely or very shallow or very unapproachable. Or maybe you like it that way. You have only yourself to thank for this. Maybe Santa will bring you a boy (or girl) to stuff in your stocking. Or maybe a lump of coal to match you. But don’t despair, and from the snooty yuppie drivel here you seem not to be; because with a lotta pressure, coal can become a diamond. Shine on you, whoever you are.

By: Jessie B. R.

Jessie B. R. — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:27:16 +0000

‘Will we ever connect on a deep and meaningful level? Probably not.’

So interesting how one needs to communicate in person to feel as though she’s connected on a deep level. It sounds as though you *have* connected on a deep level already. In the same ways that pen pals can connect with thousands of miles between them. Even if the offline meetings don’t carry the same feeling of gusto as the chatroom ones doesn’t necessarily discount the authenticity of your online connection.