How To Make Friends Online Without Being Creepy?

We frequently communicate with people online without considering the potential friendship that awaits. Here are some useful tips on how to start, develop, and keep friendships online without being creepy.

You want friends by your side through all of life’s challenges! Making friends online has become more prevalent with the development of technology. The truth is, all it takes is a little extra effort and you could have a new friend in no time!

Tips For Making Friends Online Without Being Creepy

We have some tips for you to make friends online without being creepy:

Craft Your Online Profile

Make sure you provide enough information to attract new friends by creating a profile and selecting a username that describes who you are (if it must be different from your real name). Profiles’ About Me sections are where this is most frequently mentioned. Your interests, your search criteria on the app, and a friendly line indicating you welcome contact from others are a few things to include.

Engage With People Who Bring Out Your Best

There are some people you feel most at ease around. They also assist you in discovering your hidden talents. Keep them around if you find someone or something that helps you be your best self.

Now that we’ve covered how to make friends online without being creepy, avoid hovering around people to avoid annoying them. Keep things under wraps and keep your footprint small—you never know when your friendship might soar to new heights!

Flirt But Keep It Healthy

According to some experts, flirting is good for your mental health. But you should always exercise moderation in your actions. Similarly to this, it can be difficult to assess someone’s true personality when you are making friends online because you don’t know them personally or haven’t met them in person.

Therefore, begin by praising their appearance or the social media status they have posted. Please, don’t go overboard because that might freak them out. Just be tactful and try to find shared interests to start a conversation.

Further Reading:

• Emotional Cheating Vs Friendship: What Are The Differences?
• 9 Things To Consider Before Dating A Friend

Start Taking It To The Next Level

If you’ve known each other for months and are online best friends, it’s time to take the next step. To engage in a more meaningful conversation, request their phone number or Skype ID. Do not push them if they prefer to keep it to just their awkward BFF. Allow them to adjust to this brand-new friendship over time.

Accept That Some People Are Better At Being Online Friends

People have many different personas. Some people are better off being quiet in person and chatty on social media. They are shy in person but will chat up a storm on a private messaging app when you send them a message. Accept them as they are and understand that they might make better online friends than in-person ones. Not a difficult job, am I right?

Follow People Who Have Similar Interests

You’ll definitely have something to talk about to start off if you look on your social media and follow or message people who share your interests. The type of posts they make will reveal this.

If they post photos of baked goods and you enjoy baking, be sure to like and even comment on their posts!

Keep It Positive

Despite the fact that most of us use the internet to avoid small talk, it seems that it is still appropriate to engage in it when speaking to strangers online. So, keep a positive attitude and join in whenever you feel like talking!

Chat On A Forum

You’d be shocked at how simple it is to meet people on forums. Join a discussion board dedicated to your interests. Due to the availability of private messaging, Reddit is a good place. Additionally, you can participate in forums on Meetup.com or Facebook.

Accept That They Are Humans Too

Naturally, we don’t actually meet this person, but you can click to start a conversation with them. You must realize though that even though it takes place online, social conventions still apply when using friendship apps or social media.

No matter how far away you are from them, you are not allowed to mistreat them or meddle in their private affairs.

Take things slowly, avoid prying too much into their private life, and consider whether you two might make good friends. Don’t start with online insults or disrespect if you don’t like their strategy.

It’s best if you keep in mind that they are also people. Don’t stray from proper behavior or any established rules of friendship. If not, you’ll be accused of stalking.

Research About People

Meeting new people can be risky business, especially if you do it online. Due to fake profiles, stories, and alter egos, making friends online could become unsettling. The best course of action is to proceed cautiously because the podium is in fact deceptive.

And always do people research to that end. Why not utilize Google to its fullest potential?

Their social media profiles do reveal a lot about their personalities. They’ll actually inform you as to whether you should advance or you should hold off.

Benefits Of Online Friendships

Psychologists have discovered that these friendships, even though they are formed online, have similar emotional and psychological advantages to those of in-person interactions. Online friendships are also very beneficial for shy or socially anxious people. Anxiety related to verbal and in-person communication can be reduced by using the screen as a mediator.

Students who study at online colleges can interact and collaborate with one another just as they would if they were physically present there because of the supportive online community.

Speaking of not sharing a physical space, online friendships meaningfully overcome this obstacle. You can now make friends from all over the world as a result of digital communication, according to this. This was not such a simple feat back then!

Where Can I Make Friends Online?

Together with making new friends in person, making friends online is common. You must continue to engage in local community activities, and you can develop these friendships online.

Some places where you can expect to find new friends both in person and online include:

Study Groups

For college students, start or join a group. After that, you can invite people to your location for study sessions or join ones that are already going on.

Do Things You Love In Your City

Engaging in activities you enjoy is one of the best ways to meet people. In this manner, you can come across others who share your interests and carry on the activity. Through social media or, for example, browsing the online class schedule for a gym, you can use online websites to find events that interest you.

Join A Group Online Based On Your Likes

Try searching online for a group that is interested in the same things you are, based on your interests and hobbies. After that, connect online and schedule in-person meetings to carry out the interest. For instance, you could arrange a wine and painting night after finding people who enjoy painting online!

Connect On Social Media

There are many social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter, where you can meet new people.

Join A Twitch Gaming Group

Since websites like Twitch have gained popularity, gaming has taken off. Even better, you can use a headset to communicate with other gamers in addition to in-game chat. Multiplayer games like Fortnite, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and DOTA are some of the video games were making new friends is easiest.

By participating in the chat and watching other gamers stream, you can also make new gaming friends. Again, keep your attitude upbeat and refrain from saying anything inappropriate in the voice chat because you never know who might be listening!

Friending Apps

Online friend-dating apps actually work, at least half the time, despite how difficult it may be to believe. It can be difficult at times, but you must be prepared to keep your meetups.

When creating your profile, pay close attention to your interests as they are likely to relate to the activities you will end up doing with your best friend(s).

Finding friends on an app can seem a little strange, but you should just treat it like talking to someone on any other social media platform or forum; the difference is that you’re finding someone better suited to you.

Look In The Right Places

Where have all my online friends gone? The truth is that they might be under your feet without your knowledge! Here are a few popular places to find online friends:

1. On your social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
2. Online study groups (affiliated with your school)
3. Online classes (Coursera, Udemy)
4. Online gaming servers (Twitch)
5. Online Support groups
6. Online Dating Apps

Things To Avoid When Making Friends Online

Not Respecting Privacy

Observe the privacy of others. You have no idea what kind of behavior they might find offensive because you know nothing about them. Consequently, treat the new people you have met with a lot of respect.

Don’t impose yourself on their lives. Allow yourself enough time to get to know them better as well as enough time for them to get used to you.

Instead, Do this: Everyone enjoys talking about themselves but avoids sharing personal information with total strangers. Talk to them about general topics like the most recent music releases and their tastes, the best restaurants in town and their preferred cuisines, and a recent magazine article you read.

As you take the time to identify your shared interests, it will help you to forge relationships with other people.

Getting Too Personal

Don’t immediately add someone to Facebook, ask for their phone number, or make plans for the next day when you’ve just met them, especially if you don’t belong to the fairer sex. Even worse, there are some people you have to invite over to your house, in my experience. What a creepy thing that is!

Do not act as though you are best friends when you are not. This also applies to you. Avoid telling everyone you meet the dramas of your personal life.

Instead, Do this: Instead of pressuring them to schedule a time to see you if you want to see them again, invite them over for a fun event that is coming up soon. They will be curious to meet you too if you don’t force it and come off as sincere and friendly.

You can also request that your friends’ friends invite them over for a public gathering. Anything personal can raise doubts in their minds. Keep in mind that you want to come across as very relaxed and friendly, but not in a creepy way. Before talking personally, you should attend at least five meetings.

Getting Touchy-feely

By fostering feelings of warmth, trust, and comfort between two people, making physical contact with someone can help you and that person’s relationship grow. Don’t go overboard, especially when you meet a woman; instead, stay within your limits.

If you are a man and you end up on the receiving end of the ire of her male acquaintances, she will undoubtedly resent it.

Instead, Do this: A handshake, a pat on the back, or a touch on the hand should be the extent of your physical interaction with someone you just met. Anything longer than that should be avoided.

Keep other people at arm’s length from you. It will be gratefully received. Sending the wrong signals when you are overly touchy with the other sex. A friendly touch between two women can help reduce the anxiety that comes with being around unfamiliar people.

Staring At People

Staring at someone you don’t know is completely inappropriate. Ideally, you shouldn’t be glancing around. Perhaps you’ve never met that person, or perhaps you did just ten minutes ago. You’ll come off as either weird or a lecherous person.

It sends the wrong message to those around you. They’ll soon become completely turned off by you as you start to make them feel uneasy around you. You can’t deny that you don’t like being the subject of stares.

Instead, Do this: Make eye contact with others. Focus on the space between their eyebrows if you have trouble keeping your eyes from straying to that person’s appearance, body language, or facial features.

You’ll appear to be making eye contact as a result. Straight eye contact without any blinking is not acceptable eye contact. Don’t make eye contact all the time, that’s abnormal. Observe everyone and smile, but not in a creepy way.

Not Monitoring Your Tongue

Being funny and telling jokes is one thing, but making fun of someone you’ve just met is quite another. Don’t joke around personally with someone you just met. They don’t know you very well, and neither do you know them. You will only hurt them, and there will be five more people staring at you.

Instead, Do this: Do not make any personal remarks about anyone, whether they are nearby or not, unless you want to make new friends by making them laugh. You never know what ties they might have to that individual.

Additionally, avoid making racist or political jokes, especially when blonde-brunette jokes are involved. There are plenty of lighthearted, decent jokes that stay on the right side of the vulgarity spectrum. Ensure your choice is wise.

Lacking Etiquette Of Speech

With the utmost respect, address those in your immediate vicinity. You can’t disrespect someone without even knowing them. Jeering at your competitors may seem like a friendly gesture to you. However, that is only discussed with your closest friends. Your attitude is a reflection of who you are, not everyone else.

Instead, Do this: Remember the basic rule of socialization, “You give respect, you get respect”. Treating someone with utmost respect and compassion is the simplest way to gain their respect. They will respect you for your politeness.

A person’s demeanor is evidence of their origins. Children, women, and people your age will start to like you.

Talking Too Much

Many people make inappropriate attempts to brag about themselves. Men have been known to boast about their sexual prowess as well as their heroic deeds, material possessions, and bad-boy behavior.

Only a bunch of similarly wasted and aimless people, I imagine, will be interested in listening to that. It won’t make you popular or lead to the formation of new friendships, for sure.

Instead, Do this: Put on a friendly, sincere smile. You’ll come off as needy and overly chatty if you talk to someone too much. Such people are despised by everyone.

They will, however, like you right away if you listen to what they have to say and ask them questions about themselves that they would be willing to answer. Keep a sincere smile on your face as you listen to them carefully. You’ll come across as friendly in doing so.

Further Reading:

• 10 Signs Of A Friend’s Betrayal
• Am I A Bad Friend? 9 Signs To Judge

How To Ask Someone To Be Your Friend?

Here is a step-by-step guide for you to ask someone to be your friend.

Step 1: Listen To Your Gut Instinct

It’s vitally important to follow your gut when meeting someone for the first time. Before your mind takes over, you have a brief window of time during which your gut can give you an instantaneous soul reaction. You will experience either a push or a pull if you practice following your gut when meeting new people.

If you feel a push away from that person, there is no need to waste your time or effort trying to connect with them. However, if you sense a pull toward that person, it would be wise to make the effort to get to know them better.

Step 2: Make The Connection

Ask their name (and use it in the conversation), pay attention to what they have to say, ask them questions, and generally give them the impression that they are the only person in the room.

All of these are fantastic strategies for attracting attention and making new friends. It’s crucial that you retain a lot of information from the conversation so that you can discuss and bring it up later in other conversations.

Step 3: Put Out A Feeler

It’s simple and subtle to put out a feeler in the middle of a conversation. You can suggest that you go together if there is something you have in common. This is just a quick mention of meeting again to see if they’re interested; there’s no intention to make a plan right away and write it down in your diary.

You can proceed with the next steps if they enthusiastically concur, but if they appear hesitant or offer reasons why they are unable to, end the conversation and find someone else to speak with.

Step 4: Be Confident & Make The First Move

It is now time for you to fully own it and make the first move if you have had a great conversation, found common ground, and they have already agreed you should do something in the future. If you say it clearly and with assurance, the other person will undoubtedly agree to see you again. Talk further before moving on to step 5.

Step 5: Conversation Close & Swap Details

You should always feel as though a conversation could have gone on for hours. It makes you want to see them again and gives you plenty to talk about the next time. The benefit of going through steps 1-4 is that your interest level and areas of common interest have already been determined. You have quite literally given yourself a place to start exchanging information.

Reiterate what they already agreed to in step 3 by doing so now. ‘It was a pleasure to speak with you, and now that we have exchanged contact information, let’s set up a time to check out the restaurant you told me about. You will sound assured, take charge of the circumstance, and make a new friend as a result.

Let them choose how to get in touch with you. At this point, they might feel more comfortable exchanging Facebook friend requests than phone numbers, but either way of communicating is excellent.

Although it can be intimidating to ask someone to be your friend, you will undoubtedly brighten their day if they are engaged in conversation with you. I can still clearly recall how honored I felt when I was first asked to be someone’s friend. I still bring it up today, and it still makes me happy. There are those who want to be your friends, so step up and initiate contact.

Are Online Friendships Just As Important As Real-world Connections?

Freedom of choice, intimacy, and commitment are the three main elements of friendship. These three things are upheld by online relationships. You have the freedom to make friends with or break friendships with anyone you choose.

By choosing to share certain things with one another, you can become intimate. Finally, by staying in touch over time, you can uphold your commitment to the friendship.

The Bottom Line: Make Friends Online Now!

Both having friends in person and making friends online are crucial. Your life can be changed by learning how to make friends online!

Online friends can meet up in person or stay online. Regardless of how or where you first met them online, your effort, time, and communication will determine how deep your relationship will be.