Our topic this week was meeting cyber friends in person. Here are your thoughts.
Sunny Girl: Not in person, but a meeting is planned for next year. We have had phone conversations though.
Our Bottoms Burn: We would say it's about the same as meeting anyone such as a new boss or a new person in a social group. Sometimes it's a pleasant surprise. Other times, you know it's just not going work out.
Cyber personalities can be quite different from real life.
Mr. BB: I have been online for many, many years, so yes, I have met many of my online friends in real life. And when I began, everything was face to face. There was no "online." LOL!
I had one or two difficult experiences early on, but since then, I've learned to patiently wait and truly get to know someone as a person long before I share personal information or anything about my private life or sit down and have coffee.
There' are safety concerns, maturity and a process to meeting people after getting to know someone online. But if people are careful, patient and have a knowledgeable friend or mentor to help them remain safe above all else, it can be a very rewarding experience.
I love all my online and real life lifestyle friends. :)
Roz: So far, I have only been able to chat online with cyber friends. I would love to have the opportunity to meet face to face though.
Lil Misses: I would love to meet some of my online friends. Unfortunately, I believe most of them live in Canada or other countries far, far away from Florida.
PK: I've had the great privilege of meeting four on line friends and their significant others. One couple Nick and I have traveled with several times, two couples have stayed in our home. Was it a positive experience? In my life I'd rank it third in line of the best things that have ever happened to me. Number one is marrying Nick and two would be having my kids, so when I say meeting these cyber friends is third, you'll see I rank this experience pretty darn high.
I've also been able to talk to others online and more trips are planned!
Bob: Yes, we have. We have met six couples so far and we meet once a year at a lodge that one of the people have for a week. They are best bunch of people you would want to know.
Dana: Some of my dearest friends are those that I have met online. I've had the pleasure of meeting five of them offline. I liked the last one I met so much that I married him and we'll be celebrating eight years of marriage this coming week.
Now that's an endorsement! :)
Reece Seever: We have not. If I were in charge, we would at some point in the future. My wife is not there yet.
Hermione: No, I haven't, but I would love to.
Chickie: I'd like to. I guess a big problem for us would be, geography aside, is that I've been getting to know y'all for a very long time as a lurker and learner. Nobody knows me. LOL There are so many of you who I admire so very much that I wish I could jump through the screen and give a big hug hello.
Thank you, Chickie. That's very sweet!
Katie Rob: While I am still getting to know a lot of the people in blogland, it would be lovely to meet the friends that I have made so far. I hope that will be possible some day.
Cole: I never have, but it is an experience I hope to have one day!
Chelsea: Yes, we have. We have met several domestic discipline couples, and it has been a really positive experience each time. It's something that, when the timing is right for them, I recommend all couples do. It really helps you to not feel so alone in the lifestyle and meet friends who happen to practice domestic discipline as well (or whatever you're into).
If the right safety precautions are taken, it can be an extremely rewarding (and fun!) experience!
Minelle Labraun: I have spoken on the phone with several internet friends. Plans are in the works for RL meetings! Yay!
Jenny: I did meet up with someone from Houston. You all might remember him. The idea was to get a spanking, not to build a friendship. He spanked me twice when I was between relationships, and both were wonderful experiences. He was a master of his craft and a gentleman. He adapted the spanking to what I wanted, not what he wanted. As he said later, "I meet up with women who want all levels of the spanking experience. I'm happy to go more severe with the ones who want that. I understand what you like and I want to give that to you."
Later, I met up with a few others who might have developed into real life relationships, but the spark and interest were not there for me. One I thought might work out until I met him and was totally creeped out. The other I had decided was a mismatch before we met up, just to see what we were each like in person. We had a nice cup of coffee and discussed the gender imbalance in internet meetups for spanking. (Men have to pay for spanking, but the Houston guy did me in exchange for the thrill it gave him.) I'd never do any of that again, but I'm generally happy to have the memories (except for the creep).
Now, I'd like to meet girls who get spanked, either "just for fun" or for discipline. I'd like to talk about how hard it can be to get your guy to do this (Crazy, huh?). It seems to be difficult to find women who are into this near me, although regional stereotypes would make some of you expect otherwise. I'm in the South, but not the typical South of Bible Belt male-led households. Maybe that is more of a rural phenomenon and I am in an urban area.
Terpsichore: I have not, but there are a few out here I consider my good friends and I would truly LOVE to meet them someday. :-)
Felicia Nemo: I have once and it was a very pleasant experience. It was also very nerve-wrecking, but worth it!
Mona Lisa: Not yet, but I've met some amazing people online that I would LOVE meet in RL. Maybe it will be sometime in the future.
morningstar: Yes, I have met a large number of online friends in real life. For the most part, yes, it was a very positive experience.
As with any meeting of new people, there were some who weren't my cup of tea (and I am sure I wasn't theirs either). But for the most part, it was an amazing experience and loads of fun.
Ronnie: I have met one cyber friend and it was a super experience and loads of fun. We plan to meet another in June and I'm hoping to meet some American friends next year.
Prefectdt: I haven't yet (in the spanking world anyway), but I hope to. Life is very busy though and distances are often great, so the logistics of meeting folk is not an easy thing to arrange.
Kia Cera: I have met a few friends in person,. I was nervous beforehand each time, but the experience was very much worth it. Nothing all that earth shattering happened, but in a way, that made it all the more significant.
While preparing for my first meeting, I came out to two of my very close vanilla friends. Given the potential consequences, I thought it prudent to have someone more aware of what I was doing than just “meeting a guy from the internet.” I was more nervous about this than the actual meeting. However, both of them were incredibly supportive and also somewhat curious. What I thought at first might strain or ruin our friendship wound up deepening it more than I could have imagined.
Elle: I haven't met any cyber friends. There are a few I'd love to meet though! :)
Bonnie: Back in 2005, Randy agreed to support me in my blogging quest, but only on the condition that I agreed to a set of rules designed to protect my safety and our privacy. We had experienced a problem a few years earlier that was sufficiently serious that I abruptly left the forums for a couple of years. I have since followed these rules and they have provided the intended result. I may wonder about meetings with fellow bloggers and readers, but I have agreed not to ask.
Thank you all for your interesting responses!
