How these people turned online connections into face-to-face friendships

For those who are online a lot, it’s no longer unusual to make the transition from virtual conversations to real-life friendships, says Andrea Mara

I checked my hair one last time and walked towards the pub. Outside I hesitated and clicked into Facebook to look at the profile picture one more time. Then again, people don’t always look like they do in their Facebook pictures I thought, as I pushed the door open and walked inside. Scanning the room, I felt a surge of nerves. I spotted someone waving, and walked over. “I’m Andrea,” I said. “I’m Sadhbh,” she replied with a smile, and we sat and chatted as though we’d known each other all our lives.

In fact, we had known each other for some time, but only online, as part of a Facebook group for parent bloggers. This was our first real-life meeting, and four years later, we’re still friends. Sadhbh is just one of the many online pals I’ve met with in recent years — I’ve had coffees and nights out with people from parenting, blogging, and creative writing groups, and everyone is just as lovely in real life as they are online.