No time to socialize? Make some friends in online communities and squeeze in a little chit-chat!
Just a few decades ago, we all had a lot more time to socialize. We went to work, did the 9 to 5 and had plenty of time to socialize without neglecting our responsibilities. Unless you were an A type personality, you didn't work lots of overtime, or bring work home to do on evenings and weekends.
Today, even non-type A's are working long hours, bringing it home and finding ourselves pressed even for time to spend with family and friends. Perhaps this is an unfortunate development of the times, but nonetheless true. However, we humans are naturally sociable. Kicking back and chit-chat do have their place. We all need to relax and gain a sense that we're part of a society of other human beings. All work and no play ...
When you're faced with a bowl of lemons, with so many responsibilities and no time for out and out partying, it's time to make lemonade! Maybe this is one reason the many online communities have become the defacto gathering place for socializing. Instead of making an evening of it, we get online and go to one of the forums or chat rooms for a half hour of de-stressing with our online community friends. Whereas ten years ago, we'd give a friend a call after dinner to catch up on the latest gossip, online communities are accessible 24/7. If you're the night owl, you'll find plenty of like-minded people online. While you probably won't call a friend at 2 am, you don't need to hesitate to post a message for an online friend, awake or not. They will get back to you and won't be miffed by the hour of the day or night.
There are those who argue that there's a certain lack of personal feeling in communications exchanged in the online communities. After all, it's more than likely that you haven't, nor will, ever meet these friends in person. On the opposite side of the coin, there's a certain honesty in the online community relationships that you might not find in the non-virtual world. You might hesitate to tell a personal friend that her new red dress just doesn't suit her, but you might not think twice about telling an online friend that pink was made for her. Strange, huh?
Perhaps because of the impersonal, less sensitive nature of online communications, we become more honest. It's almost as though you can speak your mind freely, without fear of rejection or appearing offensive. Online, people have that shield of anonymity that allows them to say what they mean and, it's a two-way street.
Sure, you've got to lurk on some of the boards for a while, so that you can catch the general flavor of the members before deciding to join and participate. With the breadth of topics available in online communities, it's easy to zero in on groups that share your interests. With a little effort, you can find a whole community of potential friends that are in the same boat both you and they want to socialize, but the normal avenues of socialization just don't fit into anyone's time schedule.
While you may encounter obnoxious personalities, you can simply not interact with them and focus instead on those with a similar desire and a positive, intelligent outlook.
Overall, the online communities can be a breath of fresh air in your taxing schedule. Choose your online friends wisely and then have some fun!
Just a few decades ago, we all had a lot more time to socialize. We went to work, did the 9 to 5 and had plenty of time to socialize without neglecting our responsibilities. Unless you were an A type personality, you didn't work lots of overtime, or bring work home to do on evenings and weekends.
Today, even non-type A's are working long hours, bringing it home and finding ourselves pressed even for time to spend with family and friends. Perhaps this is an unfortunate development of the times, but nonetheless true. However, we humans are naturally sociable. Kicking back and chit-chat do have their place. We all need to relax and gain a sense that we're part of a society of other human beings. All work and no play ...
When you're faced with a bowl of lemons, with so many responsibilities and no time for out and out partying, it's time to make lemonade! Maybe this is one reason the many online communities have become the defacto gathering place for socializing. Instead of making an evening of it, we get online and go to one of the forums or chat rooms for a half hour of de-stressing with our online community friends. Whereas ten years ago, we'd give a friend a call after dinner to catch up on the latest gossip, online communities are accessible 24/7. If you're the night owl, you'll find plenty of like-minded people online. While you probably won't call a friend at 2 am, you don't need to hesitate to post a message for an online friend, awake or not. They will get back to you and won't be miffed by the hour of the day or night.
There are those who argue that there's a certain lack of personal feeling in communications exchanged in the online communities. After all, it's more than likely that you haven't, nor will, ever meet these friends in person. On the opposite side of the coin, there's a certain honesty in the online community relationships that you might not find in the non-virtual world. You might hesitate to tell a personal friend that her new red dress just doesn't suit her, but you might not think twice about telling an online friend that pink was made for her. Strange, huh?
Perhaps because of the impersonal, less sensitive nature of online communications, we become more honest. It's almost as though you can speak your mind freely, without fear of rejection or appearing offensive. Online, people have that shield of anonymity that allows them to say what they mean and, it's a two-way street.
Sure, you've got to lurk on some of the boards for a while, so that you can catch the general flavor of the members before deciding to join and participate. With the breadth of topics available in online communities, it's easy to zero in on groups that share your interests. With a little effort, you can find a whole community of potential friends that are in the same boat both you and they want to socialize, but the normal avenues of socialization just don't fit into anyone's time schedule.
While you may encounter obnoxious personalities, you can simply not interact with them and focus instead on those with a similar desire and a positive, intelligent outlook.
Overall, the online communities can be a breath of fresh air in your taxing schedule. Choose your online friends wisely and then have some fun!
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