It's a question we all ask sometimes. How can I widen my social circle?How can I get to know those people who walk up and down my high street every day? How can I find more friends? Something that should be so easy sometimes seems so hard.

Find new friends

Actually, there are many things you can do if you are looking for new friends. One of the best places you can turn to is online communities, where you can find plenty of advice for enlarging your social network.  

Given their rapid evolution in the past years, online networking services are now more convenient than ever, as they provide user-friendly interfaces that make meeting new people fun and really easy.

When social networking first came along, it had some stigma attached. It was thought of as the last resort of those who couldn't make friends any other way. Boy, has that changed! Making friends online has completely thrown off its initial stigma and has in fact revolutionised the way we find friends and maintain our friendships.

Using online friendship and dating sites is now a commonly accepted way of meeting
new people.  Whether you simply want to increase your social circle or find people who share your tastes or whether you are looking for dating and romance, going online is something you won’t regret doing.

Meeting people online has become a popular and safe method of meeting like-minded people – so forget about smoky nightclubs where appearances often deceive you. One of the great things about social sites is they are safe and non-threatening.

You'll get to know great people who have the same ideals and interests as you do, and it will become easier for you to establish a friendly connection.

Where to start

If you plan on making the most out of using an online friendship site, you should start by firing up your fave search engine and looking up words or phrases such as “online friendship”, “meet friends online” and so on.  You can then visit some of the other sites just to get an idea of how this works and see which type of service you find yourself comfortable with.

Once you have found one that operates the way you want, you can register and start making yourself noticed.  If you decide to sign up with an online community, you can take advantage of all that community has to offer to its members. 

If you choose one of the free sites, such as www.mutualfriends.com, you will soon learn that it is very easy to find people similar to you in your own neighborhood.  After signing in you are directed to your profile, where simple and clear directions make it easy for you to state exactly what you are interested in.

Help, I'm New Here

Taking into consideration that you are a newcomer, the polite thing to do is introduce yourself to the rest of the community in the Discussions area, where you can post a message on the I'm New Here forum.  This way you’ll let everyone know you’ve arrived on the scene and you will give them the opportunity to get to know you a bit.  What is more, if you want to make friends near you, the site offers features a search engine that allows you to look up friends in your area. A great feature to get to know local people easily.

After spending a while chatting with the other members, you will be able to mingle with folk who share the same interests and values as you do.  Once you meet someone who sounds nice, you are actually in control of how the situation will go, so you can take your time and do things your way.  The slow pace can include IM and sending private messages until you decide the time has come to speak on the phone or meet in person – if at all. At Mutual Friends we have both an online and offline community, with our events section showing where friends will be meeting and greeting each other in real life.

Real-life and online combine

So if you find some interesting people and you want to meet them in a different environment, all you have to do is go to the Events section, check who is organizing the next meeting in your area and simply be there at that time and date.  Or if you can’t find anything that suits you, try to arrange the next meeting in your neighborhood and see who attends it.

The beauty of making friends online is that you can organize such meetups at any time of day or night.  You can choose to go skating or to a concert, you can find more people who work during unsociable hours just like yourself, or you can make the meetup kid-friendly if you are a single parent and it’s difficult for you to get out.

After all, meeting people online means that you can get to know somebody really well before meeting on a one-to-one basis, so you can make sure that your tastes, ideals and  intellect are similar.  After these first steps, offline activities such as meetups in pubs are a great way to get to know that person better, without any pressure.  And it can be a terrific opportunity to put a face to a name, especially if you have had many chats online with that person.

However, when you do decide to meet someone in person, you should still make sure you use all the common sense precautions for your own safety.  Even if you seem to have a lot
in common with your online friends, personal safety is still a top concern.  We recommend you try to build trust and to be trustworthy yourself when using online
services, but at the time you should do your best to prevent undesired unsafe or risky situations developing. 

Get started

Many people explore online friendship in the hope of enlarging their circle of acquaintances and adding something special to their lives.  Fortunately, there are many
nice people who are using these sites and pleasant experiences are numerous. You’ll certainly be surprised of the amount of happy-ending stories people have experienced thanks to such a service.  So don’t waste your time and join in now!  Your future friends are waiting for you.

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