Levels of Friendship

Can you really have friends online? I think there are many levels of friendship within the online community. These of course, are just my observations.

Level 1- This is where you read a name and decided if you are going to respond. You feel nothing and do not care if you ignore the name or not. I think girls know after the first posting or definitely within the first 3, if they will give that person the time of day. Your opening line is critical. This person will never get acknowledged.

Level 2-This is where you will say hi or ask a few a/s/l questions or respond to someone doing the same. This is nothing more than causal conversation. You will not share personal things with this person or even entertain a response in a private setting. This is where most chat room chatters fall. Just exchanging cold, hallow words.

Level 3- This a person that you always acknowledge or friends of yours acknowledge (popular chatters). You spend most of your time interacting with their comments and/or shenanigans. This relationship may be love or hate. This person gets a lot of your attention and time. You will respond to comments in private settings but your answers are limited and brief. They will only know the character you play in the room and not beyond that. This is the relationship that most regular chatters have. You only know what you are told and you have to decide what you do with that information.

Level 4-This is a person who gets a lot of your attention. You have private jokes and your day is a little better when they stumble into the room. You never avoid a conversation in a private setting. You talk about things beyond the character you are playing in the room. You show who you want to be beyond that character. This is where people can get hurt. They open themselves and show a weakness and trust that other person is doing the same. You will reveal pasts hurts and future dreams but you are not dealing with someone you can actually see or feel online, which can be good or bad. You cannot hold each other but you cannot see the reaction or if they are even paying attention to you alone or five others at the same time. This is why a lot of people avoid this level. This is where online relationships take you out of the real world and you get wrapped up in the drama of the online world. I believe you have the most to lose or gain during this level and it's not like you have 88 friends in this level at once.

Level 5- This is a person that has gone past the title of friend. You are having a personal relationship that is supplemented by online chat rooms. You are exchanging emails or instant messages outside of the room. You may also be using telephone, camming or other electronic devices to maintain your relationship. This could result in a personal face to face meeting in the real world. This does not happen very often but when it does it usually is very successful.

Tell me what you think? Unless you are to shy to post an anonymous comment.