Internet friends are an interesting commodity. Compared to real life friends, they’re easier to make, easier to lose, and you’re likely to have more of them. They also have a whole range of values associated with them, and in this economic climate, knowing the true value of things has become pretty important.
Friends are valued on a sliding scale, ranging from passing acquaintances or work colleagues (these two are normally interchangeable depending on how much you like your cubicle buddies) all the way up to your lifelong BFF. The internet makes the distinction between the levels a little easier to define, allowing commodity values to be assigned to each point on the scale.
At the bottom of the scale fall the IRC friends. These are the people who acknowledge your presence when you enter a chatroom. They respond to what you hope are witty comments with LOL, ROFL and occasionally ROFLMAO. These are the Zimbabwean Dollars of internet friends. Every few months you make new ones and even in their hundreds they’re essentially worthless.
Next up are your forum and IRC PM buddies. These are the people who ask about your day, not because they are interested, but because it’s polite. In RL these would be your “Water Cooler” friends. These are like cash, they’re nice to have around, but you aren’t really going to use them for anything momentous.
At the next stage on the ladder lie your guild/party buddies. These are the fun groups that you go adventuring with in your favourite MMORPG or go killing other people with in FPS’s. You laugh, you joke around, and occasionally you can vent to them. They’d be your regular friends that you meet at the bar for drinks after work. Assigning a commodity value to these is a little more tricky as they generally comprise of people from a number of levels. These would be like your credit cards. You can have a lot of fun with them, but if you abuse them you could get in serious trouble.
Moving up the ladder you’ll find your internet inner circle. These are your IM/email buddies. You chat to them on a regular basis, even to the point of unloading your problems and asking advice. These are solid and dependable no matter the climate, and in rough times you want them close to you. It’s easy to evaluate these ones, they’re gold.
Finally, are the true gems, the diamonds among the dross. These are the life changing people you meet, sometimes through a chance encounter in a RPG, sometimes through a number of months slowly building the relationship from Zimbabwean Dollars. Regardless of the way they come into your life, one thing remains constant. These people have a profound impact and whether it’s for a few short weeks or a few score years they change your life. Treasure these friends, they’ll be as true as any you’ll meet in RL, and these are normally the ones that transition from words on a screen into flesh and blood creatures.
In tough times, the valuable friends need to be treasured and kept close, and when times are good for you but rough for them, remember to be there for them. After all, how many friends do you have that will accept you interacting with them dressed in nothing but your underwear while eating a tub of ice-cream in the dark.