I see nothing wrong with cyber-friendships. They can be just as valid, if not more so, then real-life friendships. Not everyone on the internet is a complete psycho who is out for your blood. For all you know, your real-life friend might be some nutcase who needs to be put away. If you don't wish to make friends on the internet, good for you. However, don't put down others who feel that they reap the benefits from this method of communication.
Not targeted at anyone here in particular. Just expressing what I am currently thinking about.
So how do other members feel about making friends online?
Due to personal experiences, I've been careful when it comes to choosing friends since I was in middle school. I finally grew to trust my instincts and they're usually spot on. Which is why I don't like getting too close to anyone online. People like to put on acts, and it's hard trying to figure out whether that's the person's true identity or their internet persona.
I'm pretty open-minded with it. If you want to establish friendships, but have little desire to interact within bustling social environments, then the internet can be ideal for you, providing that the other person on the other side isn't stringing you along or something. The one potent thing which makes internet relations difficult at times is perhaps the lack of facial and physical cues which gauges a person's emotions and feelings. Without them, you will probably develop various thoughts of paranoia (it happened to me before). It's a question of how much effort and risks you put into these kind of friendships, at the end of the day.
Romance, however, is a different story...
phobia.