Who would you like to meet at JC

@emmaree wrote:

:-s

:shock:

That’s quite an analysis Mrs T. I chatted for years before I actually met someone off the net. It was never an intention to meet anyone, but it happened a few of the people I have met were actually living within a 2 mile radius of my home! Those were the people I met. One is a neighbour lives round the corner. :lol: I had no concerns about meeting these 2 people, one female one male. We met in my local town, familiar surroundings to us both.
My first meet was an all girly London Meet. One of the most enjoyable meets I have been to. I was very apprehensive as I had not met anyone there before. Was amazing fun and every single one of those there were very dfferent very interesting even more full of character than in the chat rooms.
I do not chat with the intention of meeting anyone, so I have no concerns about my relationship with that side of the internet. If I click with someone and or decide to go to a meet then so be it too.
The enticement is never there if you are not looking for it.

@jen_jen wrote:

I haven’t replied to this before now as I simply don’t like threads like this, they feel like a popularity contest to me…that’s not a criticism Mrs T, just how I feel.

The internet has had an amazing effect on our lives, no doubt about it. All this wealth of information at our fingertips, but not all of it is true therefore a degree of common sense and logic is required to discard the chaff, look behind the smoke and mirrors and whittle it all down to what resonates and is important to us. And so it is with message boards, chat forums, and the people we find there.

One of the double-edged swords of the internet is that it is removed from reality to a degree and we can come in here and be whoever we want to be. Stephi was one example of that and there were many more before her. Despite that, there are still a lot of people who are the same in chat and on the boards as they are in real life. I think as we become more experienced in chat, we become more adept at knowing instinctively who is exactly as they seem and who should be taken with a pinch of salt and who we would prefer to avoid like the plague. However even when someone is exactly as they seem, you still only see the aspects of them that they want to show you…but isn’t that just the same as in real life?

Is here real? Yes, of course it is, we are real people sitting at real screens typing real words.
Should it be allowed to affect your “real world”? Well to an extent it is bound to unless you are able to fully compartmentalise your life or remain completely detached from the people you chat to here. The extent you allow it to affect you “real world” is another matter though.
As for meeting people that you would never do in your everyday life, isn’t that one of the beauties of it? To broaden your horizons? If you have been chatting to someone for some time, you share common interests or a sense of humour or just click, and you’re intrigued enough to meet, why shouldn’t you? As long as you’re clear on why you’re meeting, that both parties are agreed on the purpose of the meeting, you meet safely in a public place etc. and you don’t ignore any internal alarm bells and meet someone when it just doesn’t feel right, then why not?

I’ve met a few people from JC, at a meet, in a small group and one to one. I’ve met just for a coffee while I was in their area, or gone for dinner, some have visited me at the shop while they were in my area. Yes some of them were people that I wouldn’t have met in my “real life” but they were interesting people and I don’t regret having met them. I have met one person that I found disturbing and one person that quite frankly scared me, but both of those were at a large meet so I felt reasonable safe. Everyone else that I’ve met have been lovely people from all walks of life, and some of them I now consider friends…not quite like “real life” friends of course, but friends nonetheless.

Internet relationships….the modern equivalent of pen friends…it can be platonic or otherwise…you can be someone else or you can be yourself…it can stay in the ether or you can choose to meet…the choice is up to the individual.

fab jen i think you covered it so well and i cant disagree with one word you said :P

@emmaree wrote:

Agree whole heartedly with you Jen ,,,,and ignore Terry he just has the poo’s with me cause I wont meet him in Paris :roll:

:roll: As if….

Have chatted to GD for years, she is lovely, and has always seemed a really genuine person. She supported me when I really needed a friend. Some of the oldies who I miss as well who I’d have liked to have met, are sunny, netty, mims, rob perhaps! lol. I was also quite fascinated with the dreaded ‘Doa’ :shock: would have loved to have worked out if he really was as mad as he led us all to believe :D