Can Online Friendships Feel as Close as Real-Life Ones?

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The discussion centers around the friendships formed within the Physics Forums (PF) community, highlighting the deep connections members feel despite often never having met in person. Participants share their experiences of forming close bonds with fellow members, mentioning specific individuals who have become significant friends, even if only online. There’s a sense of camaraderie, with many expressing gratitude for the support and knowledge shared among members. Some have met in person, while others feel a strong connection without physical meetings, emphasizing that online interactions can foster meaningful relationships. The conversation also touches on the idea of organizing real-life gatherings, such as the PF Aruba Conference, and the desire for more personal interactions. Overall, the thread reflects a warm, family-like atmosphere among PF members, showcasing the value of community in the digital age.
  • #51


dlgoff said:
Well. Anyone who can consume Ghost Peppers without blinking has to be a friend of mine; motorcycles or not. :biggrin:
OK, there are reasonable exceptions. The first year that I had a garden here, my neighbor walked up here, and I picked a couple of ripe Savinas as we cruised the garden spot. I ate mine. He nibbled on the end of his, and took it back home with him.
 
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  • #52


I have met Ivan Seeking & Tsu(They are practically neighbors), Janus, Om Cheeto, Astronuc, Gokul, and Kerrie.

Seems like Astonuc has met the most different members.
 
  • #53


turbo said:
I have only met Astro in person, but have had nice times with his wife and kids. I'd like Chi to come up this way, but he has better mountains closer.

Other PF friends that I can't lose are Evo, Drizzle (Gad), Rhody, Danger, Zoobie, MIH, Pooh, and Mr. Borkowski. (probably many, many more, too, but I just can't list everybody.)
The people that are listed in my profile as friends are there either because they asked me to be a PF friend (the distinct minority), or because I asked them due to some feeling on my part (after reading dozens, maybe hundreds, of their posts) that I had gotten to know and therefore trust them in some simpatico sense. You, turbo, are one such person.

I've never met anybody in person that I've conversed with online, though I still trade emails with people who I became acquainted with more than a decade ago via other websites like the old mp3.com, soundclick.com, usenet's sci.physics.com, and various science oriented yahoo and google groups that I no longer frequent.

It's interesting how one can get a certain measure and estimation of a person's personality, etc. from online discussions.

I fairly recently resumed contact, via the internet, with an old friend (an old roommate and close personal friend) who I hadn't seen in almost 40 years, and who a mutual friend and I thought had passed away.

But that's getting off-topic. Anyway, to reply to your OP, no I don't have any close PF friends, but there are at least a couple dozen PF contributors who I consider to be online friends (in the simpatico sense, ie., I think I know where they're coming from and generally like their posts) -- and I'll get around to asking some of those who aren't now on my PF friends list to be PF friends. If they accept, then great. If not, then they can go to hell. :smile:

Nice topic as usual, turbo, and interesting comments.
 
  • #54


netgypsy said:
My fish is the whale shark

Ouch.

I posted a long poem for Borek to help with weird English but don't know if he saw it.

I did.

netgypsy said:
Evo said:
You didn't get fish whacked?

Nope?

How could it be? But I see Evo already did the honors :biggrin:

Keep us posted about how you feel after you get back from ER.
 
  • #55


dlgoff said:
Quantum Physics and Optoelectronics? :!)

Sounds like friends material to me.

i thought matching making services is that \uparrow way.

Thanks though, I know who to hassle the hell out of when I need help with the QM details the laser diodes now :devil:
 
  • #56


I've met Tom Mattson, Cyrus, Moonbear, Ivan Seeking, Integral, Greg B., Gokul, ZapperZ, turbo and George Jones. I'd certainly like to meet more folks from PF.

I exchange messages at PF or other forums, and chat with others.

I was at a symposium and a student from MIT recognized me. As far as I know, he's not a member, but periodically browses the forum.
 
  • #57


Gad said:
Your father has the same name, Turbo? This is rare over here, a few people might name a child after his father, only if the father passed away, same for girls. But again not common.
My niece named her daughter Harley, too. She is a precocious little thing. Then my (much) younger brother had a daughter and they named her Hayley because Harley was already taken.

Hayley
LilHooper.jpg


Harley
harleyrock.jpg
 
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  • #58


The only member I actually met was SpaceTiger. I watched him give a lecture after the defense of his PhD thesis. I spoke with Gokul43201 and with turbo on the phone. I just missed meeting Chi Meson when I visited his campsite in NH. He was away at the time.
 
  • #59


turbo said:
My niece named her daughter Harley, too. She is a precocious little thing. Then my (much) younger brother had a daughter and they named her Hayley because Harley was already taken.

Hayley
LilHooper.jpg


Harley
harleyrock.jpg

Oooohahahooo, cutie cutie cutie little girls :!):!)
 
  • #60


Gad said:
Oooohahahooo, cutie cutie cutie little girls :!):!)
They are both as cute as can be. Harley will sit quietly when visiting, but as soon as she is free to roam, she hunts for a rock. It doesn't have to be a pretty rock, or special in any way. She just wants a rock. My wife and I love rock-hounding, as as Harley gets older, we'll take her on field-trips. She could become a geologist.
 
  • #61


Borek said:
How could it be? But I see Evo already did the honors :biggrin:

Keep us posted about how you feel after you get back from ER.

She did? Must have been a metaphysical whale shark:confused:
 
  • #62


I've met ZZ, Astronuc, Greg, Gokul, Russ Watters, and SpaceTiger. Zz and I actually went to Disney together (what a surprise we'd pick that destination for meeting!) and have gotten together a few other times.

It turns out that one of Redbelly's contra dance friends is my former choir director, which was one of those surprising "It's a Small World" discoveries, but I haven't met up with him yet. Maybe if a visit to NJ coincides with a contra dance appropriate for beginners...
 
  • #63


Darn! I thought the Contras died off when Reagan's secret Iranian money dried up.
 
  • #64


Ahhh - I found it - metaphysical whale sharks take longer to reach one than physical whale sharks, I guess. ?
 
  • #65


George Jones said:
My wife makes baingan aloo.

what is baingan aloo? Is it similar to baingan bharta (YUMMM)??
 
  • #66


Moonbear said:
Maybe if a visit to NJ coincides with a contra dance appropriate for beginners...

This group meets in Princeton for contra dancing every Wednesday and on the 4th Saturday of each month. The dance starts at 8:00 pm, but there are beginner lessons at 7:30. Let me know if you ever get a chance to go and I'll try to meet you there. Here's their site with detailed information.

Princeton Country Dancers
 
  • #67


There are Contras hiding out in NJ? This immigration problem is getting serious!
 
  • #68


Actually, it's a variant of contra dancing called contravariant dancing, dual to covariant dancing. Apparently there was a primitive man taken from the jungle and shown just such a dance. When they asked him if he knew what the dancers were doing he said that he did, but he wondered why they were standing up.
 
  • #69


Jimmy Snyder said:
Actually, it's a variant of contra dancing called contravariant dancing, dual to covariant dancing. Apparently there was a primitive man taken from the jungle and shown just such a dance. When they asked him if he knew what the dancers were doing he said that he did, but he wondered why they were standing up.

Reading this makes me tensor.
 
  • #70


Jimmy Snyder said:
This group meets in Princeton for contra dancing every Wednesday and on the 4th Saturday of each month. The dance starts at 8:00 pm, but there are beginner lessons at 7:30. Let me know if you ever get a chance to go and I'll try to meet you there. Here's their site with detailed information.

Princeton Country Dancers

Do you do contra dancing too? I've only done it once, and it was fun, so I'd give it another try if the timing was right and there were other PFers interested in attending, but it's not a requirement for me to attend a contra dance to get together with PFers in NJ. I visit NYC several times a year (the boyfriend is still there and still a boyfriend) and south NJ about once or twice a year (the sister and nephew are still there...and I usually welcome excuses to spend a few hours away from the brother-in-law if he does something silly like have days off from work when I'm visiting, which was when/why I met up with Russ in Philly the first time).

My biggest problem is that I tend to pick random days of the week to head there, and on short notice, so most of my long-time friends are working when I visit. I just take whatever days I can get as I see a clearing in my schedule. I can certainly let you know whenever I'm headed that way if I will have some unscheduled time (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't). For example, I was in NYC last weekend, and had all day Friday free while my boyfriend was at work. I could have made a trip into NJ, or had someone from NJ meet me in NYC, but most normal people were working.
 
  • #71


Moonbear said:
Do you do contra dancing too?
No, but I would try it. I'm pro contra dancing.
 
  • #72


Jimmy Snyder said:
No, but I would try it. I'm pro contra dancing.

LOL! I'd be willing to try the English Country Dancing if it corresponded with a visit too. Maybe some other NJans will admit they're from NJ and join us too if we met up for that.
 
  • #73


I used to feel "closer" to some PF members a long time ago when I was on here everyday. I still care about them but since I have not been around much I can't honestly say I still feel as "close". Some of those people are unfortunately not around anymore. And some people *cough*Danger*cough* seem to have similar trouble finding time for PF.

There are a lot of great people here, I doubt I could list them all, and I have never had the privilege of meeting any of them unfortunately.
 

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