Meeting online people.

[JenniferAlice]

I just don't get it, she'd rather talk to a "stranger" online, than her family? I don't care anymore, I've said all I want to say, she's a fool. That is all.

 

[PurplePoof]

I think no one gets the distinct, other-worldly pleasure of meeting ME...😀

I haven't noticed like any other Canadians on this board at all...

 

[sk]

I have done the forum meeting thing.
Went to London over a weekend, just a quick Saturday - Sunday thing.

It was actually great fun. I didn't speak much though.
I'm always quite, and trying to speak English didn't exactly help. I totally understand you there Kinslayer.

Some of us from that meeting, and some new ones, met again the year after in Amsterdam.
I found that a bit easier, speaking wise. Knowing them a bit better and starting to get into it a bit more.

Have no plan to join a BB meeting at this moment though.

/SK

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Man, I would be so stoked to meet you all in person! It might be a bit awkward at first, but I'm sure it would pass. Sadly, I can't come to the London meeting...but think of me, yes? I would love to be there...
*sigh

 

[Crazy Flakes]

Ask me again 4 years ago, and I might answer differently, but right now, I am terrified of meeting people I met online or even spreading any information aside from my first name, age, and general area. Why? Well, my good friend was cyber-stalked when she was 15. She met a guy who claimed to be 23 years old on The Sims Online, she talked to him over AIM, she eventually told him her phone number, and he actually found her address and planned to go to her house. Luckily, her mom saw the texts to this guy and called the police before he could actually get there, but still, my friends and I were actually scared for her life at the time and, as you can guess, there's some mental scarring from it.

I'm not saying I don't trust you guys and I highly doubt that any of you are dangerous, but I wouldn't want to risk it after that experience.

 

[Joyce Summers]

I trust the people on this board, none of you seem hatchet-murdery, but in general (that is not BB) I find meeting people from online a scary and foolish concept unless it's in a crowded place with lots of friends. And I think you should at least always tell family of what you are intending to do and where.

That said, I don't feel for me personally it's the same for all of you here. I wouldn't ever be worried in a 'you might kidnap me' way with all you guys....but I would never plan a meeting. Meeting people online purposefully isn't something I do- it's not me, but if by coincidence we happened to meet or two of us were going to the same event, or we were in the same town/city for a weekend etc I would be quite glad to meet. I just don't like planning that sort of thing; I prefer it to just happen, y'know?

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

Yeah. It seems to be people would be more comfortable meeting in a public place, like a bar or something.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

I am all for the Caution.
Hence the plan to meet in a London public place and making it a group thing but sometimes I also feel there is a need to be a bit adventurous. Take a chance.

I would NEVER suggest meet someone at their home alone, but as long as you keep things public and give someone you trust all the information you have THEN contact them when you get there, you're going to be pretty safe.

I will say about our meeting next year though, you're safe with me. I mean I was on national TV for christ sakes, for three months, thats verifiable fact SO there are plenty of 'Mug Shots'🙂

Hehe.

 

[Queen Mum]

I also believe that one should be quite cautious when meeting people over the internet. You'll never know into whom you stumble and I doubt that anybody of us wants a "Patch Adams" experience. So yeah, baring that in mind I've met loads of people over the internet. Some people I kind of regret meeting, but well for me at times the internet was the easiest way of meeting people. Therefore, as I said, I met some people who weren't that great, others very interesting and I've made quite some friendships by now. In a way I've noticed that the internet also makes the world very small, as I bumped into a couple of people living very close by to me in Germany and which have hence become very good friends. And well, as I'm rather tall and also probably quite intimidating looking, I doubt that I'm prone to walk into somebody who'll be doing not so nice things to me, but yeah, one should be careful. I'd definetly would not travel into a different country on my own to meet somebody, whom I only know from the internet.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

I'd definetly would not travel into a different country on my own to meet somebody, whom I only know from the internet.

Thats why you will be meeting the two other members of the Three Amigos before you meet us in London!!!

 

[BuffyElevated]

I have met people that I met online before and it was pretty cool most of the time. I had a couple instances where people weren't who they said they were, and that was sad, but whatever... It's not a big deal to me. It's always cool and I'm usually never nervous. 😀

 

[Queen Mum]

Thats why you will be meeting the two other members of the Three Amigos before you meet us in London!!!

Three Amigos? 😀 I like that. I'll remember that and will bring it up as a theme some time soonish. Well, we'll see how things will turn out by Spring of next year when it would be time to book the flight and everything. It's still a long time to go and I've got loads of plans for next summer, so I'll see if I can make them all come true.

 

[Tueuse de Vampires]

Any of the older members remember how I wrote about my friend who wanted to meet up with a guy she only met online and I strongly didn't want her to go? She didn't, in the end, because she had not enough money, but as it later turned out that was a very good decision because that guy had been lying to her all along. Just wanted to throw that in to show how dangerous it can be to blindly trust what people write online and just run into meeting like running into a knife.

The only time I really met someone I only knew from online was back in the summr of 2007 when I was in London (this is like my official meeting city, haha). Well I was there all summer and I know this guy from a Friends forum (Friendscafe) who lives in England so I asked him if he happened to be in London at some point during my stay there and turned out he was for a day. So we arranged a meeting, which was nice. But, we had both been registered on that site since 2003 (so we had knows each other for quite some years), plus a former friend of mine from real life who was also registered there (lol, you see I have a habit of dragging my friends into the same addiction as me) also already met him, so it was pretty safe. Well and we met in the middle of the day at the british museum, so, public place. I wouldn't really meet anyone I didn't really know well just like that.

This is also good about having roommates here, when we go to London we won't be alone, there are people we see every day, which makes a huge difference imo. You alway have someone to rely on in emergencies. Also, I know my parents won't approve of me meeting people I don't really know just like that, so I won't have to tell them about that, all I will say is I'm going to London with my roommates, which is not a lie, yet sounds way better to concerned parents.
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Edmund Blackadder agrees: That the bridesmaid one?

What bridesmaid one? Now I'm confused.

EDIT: Okay, I just got it, lol. Sorry. Before I was thinking "I never got married, I never had a bridesmaid" but then I got what you meant, lol.

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Is it then??????????????

 

[PurplePoof]

PurplePoof agrees: Have you ever had a "17-year-old

..." who turned out to be over 50? I have 🙁

Sorry, sometimes I hit the "enter" button by accident and can't finish mah shite...

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

..." who turned out to be over 50? I have 🙁

Sorry, sometimes I hit the "enter" button by accident and can't finish mah shite...

Is that because you're meeting people for naughty reasons!!!

I would like to meet you Poofy, though not for the naughty reasons, but for drinky ones!

 

[BuffyElevated]

..." who turned out to be over 50? I have 🙁

Sorry, sometimes I hit the "enter" button by accident and can't finish mah shite...

Yeah I did... The first guy I met online told me he was 18, into all the same stuff I was into at the time... When I went to meet him, he ended up being almost 40. Luckily I had arranged to meet him at Barnes and Noble, and when I recognized him by the clothes he had on, I snuck out before he could even see me. LOL

My mom is 55, and she is just now starting to chat online. She is so naive sometimes and it pisses me off. She got conned by some asshole who convinced her that he was a rich doctor who would take care of her forever, if only she could send me $5000 to pay for a plane ticket. As you can imagine, there was no rich doctor and I'm sure that $5k wasn't for a plane ticket. BLUH.

 

[PurplePoof]

Well, I was 14, in the closet and desperately wanted to meet someone "like me" and I was hoodwinked by some old creepo with a hot fake photo. Never made that mistake again...

And I'm always up for drinky meetings...though not that far away...though I do have some friends from London who owe me some drinkies...
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Yeah I did... The first guy I met online told me he was 18, into all the same stuff I was into at the time... When I went to meet him, he ended up being almost 40. Luckily I had arranged to meet him at Barnes and Noble, and when I recognized him by the clothes he had on, I snuck out before he could even see me. LOL

My mom is 55, and she is just now starting to chat online. She is so naive sometimes and it pisses me off. She got conned by some asshole who convinced her that he was a rich doctor who would take care of her forever, if only she could send me $5000 to pay for a plane ticket. As you can imagine, there was no rich doctor and I'm sure that $5k wasn't for a plane ticket. BLUH.

I agreed to meet my dude at a Starbucks at a local mall...however I didn't know who he was until he'd already circled me and said my name. Then my stomach just dropped and I ran away...

 

[Edmund Blackadder]

Well, I was 14, in the closet and desperately wanted to meet someone "like me" and I was hoodwinked by some old creepo with a hot fake photo. Never made that mistake again...

And I'm always up for drinky meetings...though not that far away...though I do have some friends from London who owe me some damn good sex...and drinkies...
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I agreed to meet my dude at a Starbucks at a local mall...however I didn't know who he was until he'd already circled me and said my name. Then my stomach just dropped and I ran away...

Just glad you ran away.
Joviality aside, thats a bad situation.

Ohh, well if you ever come to London, let me know and we can meet for a Drink - we'll get some of the other Buffy Boarders down!!!

 

[BuffyElevated]

I agreed to meet my dude at a Starbucks at a local mall...however I didn't know who he was until he'd already circled me and said my name. Then my stomach just dropped and I ran away...

Wow... That gave me the chills for real. 🙁 I'm glad nothing bad happened to you! 🙁

My worst experience was when I was 17 and I completely fell for this guy who said he knew a friend of mine... He had seen pictures of me on a website I used to have and kept telling me how gorgeous I was and completely spouted off this romantic BS. He kept saying he didn't have any pics to share, but he said "People always say I look like that dude from American Pie". and me being stupid as hell, I thought he looked like Stiffler and I was salivating... Well I go to meet the guy and he is a dead ringer for this guy:

Call me shallow, but I was so embarassed and turned off I faked being sick to get out of going on the date.

Yeah, I was mean. LOL