Could you be best friends with someone you had never met face to face?

United States
June 22, 2007 3:10am CST
For me, the answer would be yes! My best friend and I have never met face to face, but I feel as if I've known her my entire life. We met online several years back and have been best friends ever since. Until recently, we exchanged emails daily, sharing all the wonderful aspects of our lives. Some of my offline friends were never very open with me. That doesn't seem to be a problem when your best friend is online. There's so much white empty space to fill up in those email boxxes that you kind of have to confess something daily, or you have nothing to talk about. And, that helps keep communication open. I guess it's not the ideal arrangement and I do wish she lived closer so we could hang out together, especially since she became sick, and had to go into the hospital. If I lived closer, I think I could be a better friend for her. But, as things are, I try to provide all the support I can via email. So, how about you? Do you think you could be best friends with someone whom you've never met face to face?
7 people like this
37 responses
• China
22 Jun 07
hi nice to see you ,i am a chiese girl .and you? i agree with . this is the time i come to this web. i hope we could be good friends. tell you the truth ,i have a good friend online. she is a clever ,kindly girl . i like her very much ! waiting for your anwer.
1 person likes this
@Lucille7 (509)
• South Africa
22 Jun 07
Yes I think you can be best friends with somebody that you have not met face to face. I really am sorry to hear about your friend being ill and I hope that she will recover soon. Just pray for her and things will come right I am sure. Take care my friend.
• United States
28 Jun 07
Thank you very much! I will relay your kind words to her. She needs many prayers to be well. I am still hoping the best outcome for her. Be well, and be blessed for your good heart.
@Lucille7 (509)
• South Africa
28 Jun 07
It is only a pleasure. Please let me know how she is doing? I will keep her in my prayers and thoughts. Take care my friend and have a lovely day.
@tombiz (2036)
• Philippines
7 Jul 07
The answer is a BIG YES! I currently have some close friends whom I befriended accidentally through SMS messaging only. for over two years now, we have continued texting to each other. But I hope to finally meet him within this year as we are not so far to each other, the same country and region anyway. Friendship could never be limited by geographical locations.
• India
22 Jun 07
ya i am best from a person i have only talked to and never met and he has invite me to his marriage next week so i know that frendship doesn't need any face but a heart and some trust
• India
23 Jun 07
I was active in a regional forum ..where we meet lots of people ..whe chatted for hours and we not even know our nmaes ..we do it through the nick name ..one day we decided to meet and after that and before that were were are a group of people .. so its not necessary to know the face to be friends ... There were a concept called penfriends ...the people maynot know the faces of the friend but they contact themself through letters ..i heard many of them ... so face is not need for friendship ... true heart is enough !!!
@leonard0 (43)
• Portugal
7 Jul 07
i would never be, the best friend of someone that i never seen face-2-face! 1º beacuse i don't know if she is, who she says. 2º It's a risk to trust on someone that you dont know. So, i think that you could have "net friends", but you can't trust them, or consider them your best friends, cause all you seeing is a picture of them, or messages sended by them! Be carefull..!
@beekay (421)
• India
13 Aug 07
Why not. I am strongly agree with you .
• United States
23 Jun 07
i met one of my best friends online also almost 9-10 yrs ago ..we talk daily on the phone and have visited each other several times not as much or often in the last few yrs but when we can we do..we live 800 miles apart but have a blast weather we are in person or online..or just talking on the phone i wouldnt trade her for the world :)
• India
23 Jun 07
Yes Ofcourse..I could be..Although I havent been until now.You see sometimes we are more open and honest about our life with people we have never known.RIGHT!! Because we feel there is no harm..and we develop a bond with them in that sense..not that we dont share with our loved ones..but there are somethings we would like to tell complete strangers rather than those we know!! You wanna tell me something ;)
@Gwapako_28 (2140)
• Philippines
28 Jun 07
I have too.We just meet this year and since i am from Philippines, and she is from Spain.We had shares a lot of thoughts and fun in email and mail through post office.She send me pictures and so do it to her.She got a daughter name Irene and me got 2 kids both boys.She is very,very kind and i know someday,we will meet in person.And even we wont meet,i know that our friendship will last forever.
• United States
23 Jun 07
IT DOESNT LAST! I am talking email pals and some phone calls. Few years ago in 1999 I had 3 only email pals. I lost all three. LONG story. But the end result was friendships lost. And I THOUGHT I was best friends with at least 2 of the 3. I think it takes a STRONG friendship to survive not seeing each other more than once a year or less. Just phone calls and emails. Does it work? Can it? Yeah! I have a best friend whom I havent seen since end of June last year. We've been best friends since 1998. We met in person, at college. Together hanging out and such for a few years. I love that girl! She rocks! I mean love her like a friend. But we are truly best friends still. And I through phone calls and emails still strong. I plan to be friends with her forever! So I dont think *I* can make it work, well or they cant. But some can. I guess some can, just NOT ME.
• Kottayam, India
25 Jun 07
During my school days I always tried to get Pen friends and I always was getting from my brother who was in Canada.After one two letter they will not write sighting many reasons.
@marinarovi (1318)
• Argentina
25 Jun 07
Yes, I think I probably could... It hasn't happened to me though... My best friend ever (and she'll remain that) is the daughter of one of my mum's best friends, so she's like a sister to me by now. She was born 14 hours before I was, and we've been friends ever since. =)
@butterfly39 (3904)
• Philippines
29 Jun 07
Yes, even if we don't see face to face it doesn't really matter. I have one from US and everyday we talk about our lives, about our kids and sometimes share jokes. It's really fun.
@noerrorz (12)
• India
29 Jun 07
there's more to friendship than just talkin in a chat room!! friends are supposed to stick around, physically, meet u, console u, or just hang out.. u cant be best friends with ppl u've never met face to face.. perhaps it depends on how u define a best friend..
• United States
23 Jun 07
yes, you can. me and my bro dave have never met, but we are like brothers. we back each other up, give advice, etc.
@meljessxena (2315)
• Australia
23 Jun 07
when i was studying by corrospondance last year, i met heaps of people over the net, but 2 people in particular are really close to me, we talk nearly everyday and they are 2 of my closest friends
@raijin (10345)
• Philippines
23 Jun 07
Yes I do! In fact I met a number of few good folks here, that I know I have made friends with. We share mostly the same thoughts, we agree on some things that we now are good. And sometimes, we can find true friends here, because most people we meet online do not judge us of what we are but of what we say or do.
@jalbeos (1175)
• Philippines
23 Jun 07
Yes for me, I have a friend and we never meet 'til now... it's been three years already. Emailing, texting is our ways of communication... we seldom chat because we are both busy. However, there is limitations. Whenever I have a problem... and share it to her through email or text, she can give me advice or comfort me but if she is with in the time of difficulties, I can feel the care and love rather than on emails.
@butterfly39 (3904)
• Philippines
23 Jun 07
Well, I have found one already from US. We're talking online, sending emails, sending letters too with picture and I find it so sweet. Sometimes we cried sharing our worries. But what I like our kids are friends too and we both wish that someday we'll see in person.
• Canada
23 Jun 07
Although you can make many aquaintences online, I would probably not consider them as "best friends" because that requires more of a commitment on you part. If you are willing to let them live with you then maybe it is possible to be best friends with someone you have met online. Unfortunetly, this has never happened to me so I can't tell you whether this is possible. I suppose only time shall tell.