It’s pretty easy to forge connections nowadays, what with the Twitter, the Book of Faces, the blogs, and the beer checking-in apps. We’re all one #beerchat or reblog or status message away from becoming besties with our new internet friends.
I played World of Warcraft for years in college, partly as a way to avoid doing homework, partly because it was the perfect way to stay in touch with my geographically scattered friends. I could easily hang out with a buddy in Chicago, another in Ann Arbor, another in Harrisonburg, all at the same time, without missing class or spending hundreds of dollars on gas. The internet is the perfect social tool for the chronically lazy.
But I made lots of friends that I hadn’t known offline, and never did meet in person. Even though I never shook the hands connected to those avatars or gave them a big platonic hugs, I consider them legitimate, real friends. I may be part of the first generation to be able to say that; the first generation to master the concept first inked by letter writing pen-pals by adding pictures and video to the conversation.
While those relationships founded on coordinating tweets are great and easy to maintain, the in-person experience of sharing a pint should always be the goal. We’re still mostly human after all, so until the machines replace our brains with circuit boards, nothing will beat that first clink of glasses, that first slurp of suds, that first mutual “ah!” of refreshment.
I had the joy of finally meeting two of my internet friends last Friday. Glasses up to Bryan and Josh; to everyone else out there I have yet to toast, all I can say is: soon.
I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking.
Tagged: beer, bryan d roth, craft beer, friends, internet friends, josh short, powerman 5000, real life friends
I know exactly how you feel about meeting your Internet friends. I’ve been able to meet a few, and for all the connectedness of Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and emails, there is nothing like a face-to-face. Sadly, my experience did not include beer, but I may need to change that in the future. It certainly looks like a good time was had by all!
You know, if we add up the beardy scruff of you and Josh with my plaid shirt, we’re just one beer gut away from one hell of a Voltron-like beer nerd.
I really love meeting my friends from the ‘net. It definitely adds a closeness, another level to a relationship, that just having online interactions doesn’t add. This isn’t to say I can’t find myself closer to someone I only know via the web than someone I’ve met, only that the added layer of having spoken in person adds to the closeness like nothing else can.
Beer just adds yet more, of course. 😉
I’ve had the internet since 1994 or 1995, and because I was a quiet, overly self-conscious kid, real-life people weren’t something I handled too well.
While my little sister was using the internet to create a whole new fake persona for herself (10 years older, a poet and dancer haha), I was using it to be the person I was too quiet to be face to face.
Internet friends have been real friends for me since I was 12 years old.
Meeting up face to face can make or break the friendships forged so easily from the safety of a screen.
Glad to see that your meetup here seems to have gone well! It’s a really good feeling when you can put a live-action face to an avatar 😉
“Even though I never shook the hands connected to those avatars or gave them a big platonic hugs, I consider them legitimate, real friends.” — I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels that way. It was a pleasure meeting you and Bryan in the flesh. I’m sure it was the first of many more meetings to come.
How does one gather these ‘Internet Friends’ also, what is this beer thing?
Is this new? Can beer be my friend? I have so many questions. I wish you had included links to an E-How.
Seriously though, this is awesome. Great blog, great writeup and great beer all around.
“the in-person experience of sharing a pint should always be the goal”
Cheers to that
Looks like you guys had an awesome time! Cheers!
Reblogged this on World Remix Blogs and commented:
Nice blog Dear. (y)