The first step you need to take to find an Internet friend is to have an instant messenger installed in your computer. This is very easy and only needs and Internet connection. There are many messenger services to chose from, however AOL’s AIM and Yahoo! Instant Messenger are two of the most popular ones. A person can easily find the home page of these services by doing a quick browse and downloading them is usually as easy as clicking on a few buttons while being brought through an easy download wizard that does all of the work for you.
A person will be asked to choose a screen name. When thinking of making a great Internet friend, a person should choose wisely when it comes to this part. If you choose a name that is overtly sexual or offending, you will most certainly scare some people away. Generic names such as your first name and some numbers are just fine, however to really catch someone’s eye and be remembered amongst the hundreds and thousands of names, you should try to choose one that stands out amid the crowd.
When you have your instant messenger signed up, you can go into what is called chat rooms. There are basically meeting areas for everyone to go to. They are usually categorized by theme; however you will soon learn that almost none of them actually are the theme. For example, you may be interested in movies and choose a “Movie” theme chat room, however most people will be talking about many different subjects. You can watch the conversations for awhile and jump in whenever you wish.
When you first begin typing, keep the conversation light, you may say a couple amusing things; however do not make your fonts huge and your colors bright in order to try to get attention. To find a good Internet friend, it takes a bit of patience. You may then find that people will try to open private windows to chat with you. You may accept if you desire. One of the first things that you may see is “a/s/l”. This stands for: age, sex, location. Your potential Internet friend will want to know if you are a male or female, how old you are and what location you are living in. Never give a street address, keep your location very general until you have known someone for quite a while.
Do not get discouraged if you meet people who wish to only talk about sex, or if people ignore you. It usually takes a couple days or more of spending time chatting, to find a good Internet friend. Once you become familiar with someone, it is polite to ask them if you may add them to your buddy list or friend list, before you actually add them. Most people will say yes. After doing so, you should go on every day or every couple of days, and say hello to your Internet friend. Keep conversations happy and light, as you slowly get to know each other. In today’s world, no one knows where having an Internet friend may lead to. Hundreds of couples have started out as Internet friends and are now married!