Discussion Thread: Internet Friendships

Over the weekend, I had the lovely experience of meeting a terrific couple who were, the very next day, leaving to move to a new home in another state. In another time, that would have been the end of the story: A splendid bit of warm connection, contained to that moment and that space forever. But in this time, we exchanged emails, so we could keep in touch.

I've met so many people who are important in my life over the internet. My husband, many of my closest friends. And I maintain contact with friends I met offline, some long before the internet was A Thing We Use, who aren't just down the street or treading the same bit of carpet in a workspace or sitting at the next desk over in a classroom anymore.

I have made acquaintances with people in brief meetings, while standing in a line for a concert or taking a shuttle from the airport, and then developed friendships with them after exchanging emails or social media accounts.

Thank you for the internetz, Al Gore! Etc.

Anyway. We've talked about this before in this space, and it's always a fun conversation, so here we are again: Share your stories of making friends and/or falling in love over the series of tubes.