Before the internet, it was difficult if not impossible to have and maintain friendships that weren’t in your local area. You had to travel, have time to meet and connect with another person and you’ve got to make a plan to stay connected, like writing letters or long-distance phone calls. It wasn’t that convenient.

Now, it’s easy to cultivate deep friendship bonds with people all over the world. Sometimes, these friendship bonds happen without you ever having met IRL (in real life). What’s really cool about this is that no one in your local area has to have the same types of interests as you. You can still find friends and connect with like-minded people on a deep level without ever meeting in person. When and if you do make arrangements to meet, it’s surreal and amazing to know this person deeply and also see them in 4 dimensions!

Or what if you move to a different city? With technology, you don’t have to move away from your friends and family, you can still keep those ties close.

Here are some ways to connect with friends new and old:

• Facebook is a tool millions use every day to connect with old friends and make new friends all over the world. We’ve connected with people from all over and some of them have become good friends we’d love to meet and hang out with someday.
• Skype or Facetime video – This is fun to use when you want to actually see, talk and laugh. We have some good friends, a couple who we’ve moved away from and we get on Facetime video to talk and laugh about stuff.
• Google Circles – You can create your own group of people you want to hang out with and stay connected to. And there’s the video option to have group chats and end up with a virtual “reunion” at any time.

Here are a few tips to stay safe when you are making new virtual friendships:

• If you are going to meet in person, do it in a very public place and let others know where you are going and how long you’ll be there.
• Don’t tell anyone online where you live, ever.
• If someone puts you down or criticizes you too much, let them go as a friend. Sometimes, in the virtual world, it’s really easy for people to criticize and say things they wouldn’t normally say right to your face. If you find yourself giving “helpful advice” all the time, make sure it isn’t unnecessary criticism and that you’re not doing this, too.

Don’t let these safety tips dissuade you from opening up to virtual friendships. In this super-connected world, more and more people report feeling lonelier than ever.  It doesn’t have to be this way! There’s no reason why you’ve got to feel alone, even if no one in your local area understands you. There’s so many ways of connecting with people who have your same interests and sharing ideas with them. If you feel lonely in this day and age, open yourself up to the possibility of having virtual friends. They can give you the same support, laughter and love as the friend standing right next to you.