What percentage of your online friends do you really think would be there for you when times got rough?

I’m sure my online friends would let me crash with them… online. If I had any, that is.

Three of them I know would be there for sure.

Otherwise, can’t say. I really don’t have that many online “friends” anyway.

I think that I can safely say…

Very few. I have some brilliant friends online, however a large number of my ‘friends’ online are there purely for networking reasons, so few would be there for me in times of need.

However, the friends that would be, are the friends that would do anything for me, and me them.

I’m pretty sure only one of them would let me crash with them. But I wouldn’t want to stay at his place, that’s for sure.

probably less than 1 pct

For the most part, probably not; somewhere in the 1–2 % range. But I’m fairly certain that 5 or 6 of mine definitely would, and vice versa.

People who I knew online but had never met in person? Or what about people I met online and later met in person?

Anyway, from both those categories, I am sure of two.

But I have no idea if there would be others. There are some very nice people here, and I have a hard time imagining that they’d turn any of us away. But it all depends on circumstances—are you in the same town? Do they have room at the time? Why do you need to ask them? Probably a lot of other concerns.

I think that it would be similar to the percentage of real life friends that would be there for you. A small but true group.

None of them. I wouldn’t ask for their help.

I actually have quite a few I know I can count on if and when and I have their backs as well! All in all it would be 100% of my true on line friends. I don’t make friends with people I don’t know I can trust.

I have a close group of “mommy friends” that I met online when pregnant with my first, so starting in October 2006. When my husband lost his job, they immediately sent giftcards to grocery stores, and offered any help they could. There have been many other situations with other women, and we collect money or send gifts.
And one of the husbands was sent overseas, and every couple weeks, a different woman would send a care package to him, just to get him through the rough times.
I know I can depend on them.

I have friends who are online, but not vice-versa. So I have to say anywhere from 0% to 100% as the percentage is of 0.

Don’t have any. :-(

Say what? They are online. How could they help?

@davidbetterman There are real people on the other side of the computer screen.

I don’t know.

@casheroo
They’re not just programs?

I’m a cylon.

I knew it!

@Captain_Fantasy Frakking toaster.

I’m just like you!

Wait….I can hear it now. “Who?” “Seventh what?” “Oh wow like my wife….umm my mother in law is in town visting….” “Listen, I forgot I’m cooking toast…I gotta go..ok bye”..

That’s the problem with the misuse of the word friend for online contacts. I have been against that for years, but nobody seems to care. A friend is actually a person who would accept me in if I needed it, and I would do the same. The online contacts we have, for the most part are strangers and I wouldn’t want to rely on a stranger for something.

Online acquaintances, no.
Online friends, several.

No one who could give you the hug you might need.

None of my online friends live close enough to provide for that sort of need. If they did, they would be offline friends, not online friends. And no, when they live in another continemd, eight timezones away, with prohibitively high telephone call costs, we would not be able to keep in touch without the internet.

What type of meat does a priest eat on Friday?

Zero.