Have you ever met someone you only knew through the internet? Have you ever met a pen pal?

Are you nervous about meeting people after only knowing them through writing or phone calls?

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

Answers

A few years back I flew out to Redbank, NJ to meet with a bunch of online friends. We had meet via the Viewaskew WWW boards and had made something of a name for ourselves in the process.

Anyway, long story short, we had a blast. I wish I had come earlier and stayed later though. We really only had four days all told.

I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but somehow I don't think it would be nearly a sweet as the first time around.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

I met a guy on IRC and talked to him online and on the phone for two and a half months before we met in person.

The first time we met in person, we met in Pennsylvania. He was already at the Holiday Inn before I got there, and I stood in front of the hotelroom door for about five minutes, practically hyperventilating, before I got up the nerve to knock.

I guess it went well, 'cause two and a half years later, we got married.

http://www.bitchypoo.com/bitchypoo.html

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

Last summer I met in person a cousin I'd run into online. I've also met several people from journal lists. It's not like meeting strangers for the first time. No running out of conversational material.I enjoyed it.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

I've met quite a few of my online friends. We're all theatre geeks, so we meet up at shows and the like. Hell, I met nearly the entire membership of a Broadway show mailing list at the closing of said show - which was entertaining, considering I was barely acquainted many of them and downright loathed a few. But there seems to be a huge circle of Internet Broadway-types, so even if you don't know someone personally, you at least have heard of them before and at least one person you know personally knows them personally too so there's some proof they aren't too sketchy.

Wow. That was confusing, wasn't it?

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

I've met a lot of online friends, but those who are local. I've met three other online journallers---Meghan O'Hara, Lucy Huntzinger, and Tesserae of the former Perplexity and Redemption. Enjoyed it each time.

--Al of Nova Notes.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

First of all, I'd like to introduce myself as Mia, formerly known as Maggie Andrews. Mia is my real name. Maggie is not. I got sick of using pseudonyms, so I converted. Pamie and Beth inspired me.

At any rate, I have met one person from online. I was 17. He was scary. He drove three hours to see me, and I didn't even know he was coming. When he arrived, he gave me a look that I interpreted as "I'm going to eat you now." I took him on a walk around the neighborhood... he kept trying to kiss me... I was like, "Hi, I just met you 20 minutes ago and you're trying to get all up on me." I gave him $10 for gas because he was on empty. He drove home. I never really heard from him again.

I never got my $10 back either.

I gave this British guy my phone number when I was 15. He was like, 24 or something. I wanted to hear his accent, so I gave him the number. He would always ask me if he could send me a latex catsuit or leather knee-high boots. I didn't really understand what all that was about, but I told him that I wouldn't fit into that stuff because I was too small. When he started asking me how often I masturbated, I hung up on him. He never called back.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

oh i have met several internet friends irl. most are some of my very closest friends to this day. im part of several mailing lists (i like to collect mail it seems ) and most of the online ppl i know i have met irl because of the lists. we meet at shows or for lunch or when another list member is in town. i have also dated guys i met from online and it isnt as scary as you would think. well it usually isnt.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

Yeah, I've met actually a lot of my online friends. It's different every time.

The first one I met, I lived with for almost three years until I broke it off this spring. That's where I learned that people really *can* be a lot different online. I'd met him on an internet chess server.

The second, I knew from an organization online. I was really nervous about meeting her, but we'd talked on the phone a lot and always talked over each other. She's JUST like she is online. She's become one of my bestest friends, even though we now live on opposite sides of the country. That's where I learned that people are often themselves online, with maybe a little exageration.

The third (another chess person), was also very cool. He came to hear myself and my friend perform an open mic night at a coffee house. He played chess with us and was basically a teddy bear. He's how I learned that people who are shy often can find their voice online. And use it.

The most recent, yet another chess person, was great too. We walked around Chicago (i was passing through), talking. Well, I did most of the talking (as usual). He tried to get me to sing, we had a hot dog and took a picture of a poor butterfly who'd died in the sand. People *can* be just like they are online.

I'll meet more friends, and I'll learn something from each one.

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

I've met a lot of people IRL that I've met online. In fact, this past July I went to a sci-fi convention, and I met tons of them. ;) I don't know if that counts.

Oh, and I met my boyfriend online. I was a little anxious when I first met him, but... How dangerous could a guy be if he sends me cute pictures of his cats? =)

Don't answer that.

she's actual size

-- Anonymous, November 08, 1999

My response to this post ended up being so long, I included it in my journal entry today.

In particular, I wanted to ask if anyone else has seen that commercial warning parents to monitor their kids' use of (telephone) chat lines? It has this maybe 14 year old girl waiting to meet a guy (in a public place, thank goodness). She's all nervous and putting on lip gloss. First, the authoritative voice asks if parents know what their kids are up to on chat lines. Then you hear conversations between the girl and the guy she's meeting. At one point, when she's reluctant to meet, he says, "Come on, [can't remember her name, so we'll just call her] Heather, we've been talking for two weeks."

A cute boy walks up and she looks excited, but he keeps on going. Next, we hear the chat guy say, "Hello Heater," as he enters. He's only see from the side, but he appears to be a balding, middle-aged man. Cut to her terrified expression. Man, that creeped me the hell out.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 1999

I haven't seen that commercial but I am glad they're doing them. I think parents should be rabid about knowing who their kids are talking to online. I am all for free speech and everything but even adults need to have some common sense smacked into them sometimes when meeting online friends so I can imagine how easy it would be for kids to get into some horrible situation and wind up meeting some freak. Off the soap-box now and onto the original question: I wound up meeting an online friend and can gladly say that it was a wonderful experience - more so than I even expected. So, as long as folks are careful about what they're doing, I say go for it! Need I Say More?.

-- Anonymous, November 09, 1999

Umm. "How did you meet your husband?"

"Online."

This will be the more common answer in 20 years. The "at such and such bar" is a thing of the past.

Not just Jake, but all of my current friends, err... old friends were people I'd met online. Stasi got me hooked on local BBS's way back when and I became good friends with a few people.

I've since lost touch with so many of them, but the memories I have are better than the memories I have of high school and the people I lost touch with from there. (=

-- Anonymous, November 10, 1999

Oy. I'm the queen of meeting people from online.

My first experience was back in 1994, meeting two people that I had met on a national BBS (was anybody else on ISCABBS?). He was from England, she was in Atlanta, and I was living in Tennessee at the time. He and I were sort of a couple (or at least interested), and she was our friend.

We met at her house in Atlanta -- he had come over from England to meet the two of us and other friends around the US. By the end of the week we all spent together, he decided he was madly in love with her and spent the rest of his two weeks in the US in Atlanta, ditching his other friends. Last I heard, they'd gotten married. I was heartbroken for a little while.

The next meeting was with someone else from ISCABBS, a guy I'd been talking to in Philadelphia. (By then I'd moved back to Michigan.) We hit it off, and did the long distance dating thing for almost two years before he moved out here to be with me. We lived together for three years before splitting up a little bit ago.

I've also met several people I roleplay with online, including two people I consider some of my closest friends currently.

I've been careful, and I've only met people that I've talked to (online and on the phone) extensively. Aside from getting my heart broken a few times, I've been extremely lucky, and have met some great people. No journallers yet though -- hopefully soon. :)

I'm just more comfortable meeting people online, I guess. It's easier for me to be myself when someone isn't looking right at me. :)

Lisa Till Human Voices Wake Us...

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1999

Sometimes I wish I could. I have an online friend whom I'd love to meet in person, but I know it isn't something that could be a reality.

I totally love this guym, though. He's sort of a brother figure, an emotional landfill, a really good friend. But he's always sort of reluctant to talk about himself. Which is leaving me neurotic.

He seems just sort of reclusive. Its sort of weird.

But at the same time - I think its a good thing. I like having someone completely outside of my life. I treat him like a therapist almost - I blather on and on about how pissy I am, or the latest injustice of my parents. I'm just afraid of lying to him sometimes - or not so much lying but leaving out things, slanting, the like. Making myself out to be the fair and brilliant martyr from a dysfunctional family, rotting away in school... the like.

I'm sure though, he's bright enough to see through me.

hmm... I miss him, he hasn't emailed in a while. I'm always afraid I've scared him off. Maybe I'm just over analyzing this.

-- Anonymous, November 11, 1999

There's a group of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" fans at http://www.delphi.com/wwwbotbash. We started out on CompuServe at least 5 years ago. We all have the same sense of humor and get along so great that we take turns hosting parties around the country, so we've all met many times over the past 5 years. Eventually, I married one of my fellow forum buddies!

Someone said that years from now, it won't be uncommon at all to hear "I met my spouse online!" I've only been married 3 years, and I've gone from people being shocked to hear my story to people thinking it's a pretty commonplace occurence!

-- Anonymous, November 12, 1999