*scratches head*

[clo_again]

I scored 87% on the classic 400 Point Purity Test!

Take the test here!

Should I be worried?

On an entirely different topic.....

How do we chose our friends? I'm perplexed by this question. I've only met one person on my friends list face to face, yet I consider the rest of you friends. I'll be roaming Elfwood, or LiveJournal and find someone's gallery/LJ, read about them and think "Hey, they sound interesting." If they sound *really* interesting I'll comment or say hi, and sometimes it sparks off a friendship, sometimes it doesn't. What makes the difference? To quote High Fidelity "It's not what you *are* like, it's *what* you like." Does the fact I like Buffy, and Lord of the Rings, and Smallville make people interested in me? Possibly. Does meeting someone online who *sounds* interesting then never answers put me off? Definitely.

Now I've had some online friendships that have waned for one reason or another - I talked to a guy in Scotland for about six months but I told him I was two years older than I was at the time (15) and when I finally confessed I never heard from him again. So honesty is a big thing. I talked to a girl for ages and set up a co-yahoo group on the Hardys with her, then I lost interest in the wrestling, drifted off and I have no idea what happened to her. It's strange - maybe it really is *what* you like rather than what you *are* like.

A few years ago, location would probably be another be factor. For or five years ago I couldn't imagine talking to someone in Australia or the US on a regular basis - the distance was too immense to get my head round. Now there's Merc and Falln in Australia who I *will* visit and Eirual in Canada, Lilly in the US. I could end up anywhere in several countries and probably know someone within driving/flying/walking distance. Okay, maybe slight exageration.

Gender? The majority of my online friends are girls, but I think the majority of my face-to-face friends are guys which is weird. Then again, maybe guys just don't like talking as much on the net. Though that doesn't sound right. Hhhmm.

So. Interesting is good. Reciprocal people are good. Honesty is good. Location doesn't matter so much now. Gender could make a difference or it could not. Shared interests are an almost definite must.

And yet we can decide not to like/to like people without a moment's hesitation. Do we have some sort of sixth sense that picks up on all these factors, collaborates them together then forms an instanteneous opinion?

Sounds a bit dodgy if you ask me. Maybe I should be more careful before dismissing people in future.

Clo