Well I don't frequent that many online websites but I would say you have to be careful of who you talk to because of safety issues but generally people here on Ab seem to be down to earth:)

Maybe it's a therapist hazard but I really try to care and be a true friend but again I am questioning whether that is a good thing. This incident has worn me out physically and emotionally and I will be very cautious again before I care this much again.

I care for people on here but, doubt that we would become close friends. To far away for that.

I take users with a grain of salt. It is my way to past time away here at work.

Somewhere in between. : ) +5

I haven't made any true friends online but I enjoy seeing their posts, puts a smile on my face.

I have been really hurt a couple of times through online friendships so I am verrrryyyyy careful who I become online friends with and often back away. I actually had one person say to me that they weren't going to correspond with me any more because she was spending too much time and the computer and wanted to spend more time with their "human" friends. Not sure what she thought I was! As a result I don't put much into what people say online initially.

No I've become (I think) good friends with some of the people I've met on here. I look forward to seeing how there day went and realy care about them and there lives's. just as a friend should be.

I don't mix real life with internet life...I think it would be more fun that way, as there are too many problems in real life. +5

That depends on the user.

This is the only site with members that I go to. Everyone is just words on a page until you meet someone in person. I try to remember that.

Icy, I MARRIED one of the members! The MOST wonderful "gentleman" I've EVER, EVER, EVER known in my ENTIRE life! He's truly WONDERFUL!

I thought I cared and was cared about, but was sorely mistaken. Never again. This is just herd mentality and mob rule. Guilty upon accusation, a lynch-mob. I'm only staying on AB to be an irritation now. +5

You have to be careful. There are some "major" liers out there!

This site and someecards.com are the only sites where I have ever enjoyed interacting with other users, but I don't seek to establish real life friendships on either.

I almost envy those who have the time to balance relationships offline and online as well but I will be honest and tell you that offline comes first to me. Back in the days about ten years ago.. I chatted a lot.. it was a new experience and I loved it.. but it also was not worth the time sitting at the pc. Not for me anyhow. It was fun but it grew old. I made great friends that to this day we email a hi here and there but otherwise no live chat. I have come to enjoy a few people that I have read for some period of time on here but enough to keep up with regularly? No. When we catch up on a thread.. it is nice to see them but I could not nurture relationships here. Those offline are my first priority. It would be nothing but stress trying to keep up with it all.. when there are people retired.. stay at home.. or whatever who do have the time and room in their lives to do so. I think there are points in peoples' lives where they do not have a lot going on offline and it offers them a place on the net to fill it. There are some who do not have hectic or busy lives offline.. and again, the net fills in but for those who have active lives and people in it.. the net is just a place to visit and not become involved in... adding unneeded stressors in an already busy life. While people are real online.. I prefer the connection of face to face.. eye contact.. etc.. over sitting endless hours at the pc keeping up with others in the virtual world. I use the net to goof off at work.. keep in touch with long distance family and email.. Ab is s stress reliever because I do not get involved. I do what I want and then sign off.

I have become close enough to people on facebook that I talk to them on the phone occasionally and my best online GF knitted me some scarves for my birthday and mailed them to me. I'm fairly close to half a dozen people on facebook that I only know through facebook.

I would say there are people on this site you would care about,and really there is nothing wrong with that,some of us feel like we actually know some of the people on this site ,and if an answer i give makes a person feel better about things i say that it is good, and really some people have been on this site a long time and they have earned the respect of other users.and consider them friends.+4

somewhere in between, i enjoy the friendship

I have only been a member or this site and a support group site, I left the support group site when it was found out that one person I had begun to feel a very strong bond with was lying. The person never even had a child, they just felt like it was ok to act as if they knew what the rest on the site was going through, everyone poured their hearts and support to this person because their "child" had just "died" 3 weeks prior to joining. I take most things now with a grain of salt, not to be distant, but I don't want to get burned again. +4

Always suspicious. I've been burned too may times before by so-called "friends". +2

i begin to care and become friends with them over time. Ive met some awesome people on world of warcraft. I have them on my facebook, myspace and one has my cell number. Im not typically like that with AB or whatever, but with WoW i click with alot of people.

Both, though true friends may be a bit of a stretch. Aside from being in cyberspace, there is no differnce in getting to know one online. That being said, without actualy meeting and having more indepth talks, doing things together I really can't feel it is a true friendship. Some people you meet and start to become friends with turn out great, others may not turn out so well. I don't do anything on line I am ashamed of, so there is no chance anyone can use anything against me.

5-30-2017 People online are hard to put up with, even the ones who try to be friendly. No matter what they say, you always know that you are only talking to your computer. Even a slight emphasis on something comes across as an arrogant pronouncement. The chance of physical confrontation does not exist, and few people have good manners without a physical presence. Bottom line: online is not reality.

I've made a lot of friends online I have been friends with some of them for over 10 years