Friend finder dating is different from the usual type of dating online.  To begin with, FriendFinder.com is not actually an online dating web site.  This web site resembles Friendster and Facebook more than it does online dating services or matchmaking sites.  The atmosphere of the site is also remarkably different from dating sites; this can be attributed to the original purpose of the site.

As the name suggests, FriendFinder.com is a website made for the pursuit of friendship.  It works as a social networking site, and is actually one of the biggest in cyberspace in terms of user base.  Just like Facebook, it also offers free membership; however, you have the option to upgrade your account to either the gold or silver plan.  You can post pictures or upload videos, and wait for others to see them and make a comment.  You may also chat with others through the site.  These basic features, which make the site great for social networking, are the same things which make the site ideal for friend bonding and casual dating.

How are friendship bonding and casual dating possible if the web site is not a dating site? As was mentioned, the basic functions and features of the site allow both the search for friends and potential partners to be possible.  While most people are there for friendship, the site allows any user to pursue a romantic relationship.  In addition, the site gives the member relationship type options, such as heterosexual, lesbian, gay and bisexual.   Because FriendFinder.com does not participate in matchmaking, you will have to put in effort to find your match.  You must search for singles within the site on your own and view their profiles, but you will only be able to do that if you are a paid subscriber.

Before you start to look for new friendship, you must go through the motions required in all the other dating sites on the Internet.  You need to fill in a personal profile, which includes choosing among the aforementioned relationship types.  Like in all online dating sites, you are required to post pictures to enable fellow online daters to see how you look.  If you are a paying member, your next step should be to find other singles, especially those who share your hobbies and interests.  FriendFinder.com allows its members to look for fellow members who live in the immediate area, so you can date people who are within or close to your community.  You can also join discussion groups, one of the site’s best features.  You can have interesting conversations with others on topics you are passionate about.

Indeed, dating and making new friends are made more fun in a social networking site such as FriendFinder.com.  However, you should not forget to exercise caution when giving out personal information in cyberspace.  For more information about friend finder dating, you can check out http://friendfinder.com/

There is a reason why online dating sites are more ubiquitous than friendship websites.  While there are many people who find their partners through the traditional way of dating, there are also those who are unsuccessful in their search through this method.  They have dated so many people from blind dates and referrals by friends and family, and yet they remain single.  Hence, they change their dating strategy from personal to online: they create accounts and profiles in dating websites and  keep their fingers crossed.  Sometimes, time is the factor: busy professionals barely have time to go out and mingle so they choose to date in cyberspace instead.

However, the search for friends is a different process from seeking lovers.  An individual usually establishes his or her circle of friends as he or she grows up and moves forward in life.  More often than not, friends are first introduced in high school, college, office and the like.  There are times when people meet friends through family or the community (such as neighbors).  There is less pressure and preferences in the search for pals, and it is surely less complicated than looking for boyfriend or girlfriend.  With friendship, the rapport and connection between two people is more natural.  This is the reason why people often do not look for new buddies through friendship websites.

There is no harm for people already with an established social circle to check out friendship websites.  There is nothing wrong with having new friends.  In fact, it is always good to encounter new people and make acquaintances.  To the people who seek to expand their social network or those who are willing to add more friends in the life, there are many friendship websites on the Internet that they can check out.

The best part about the friendship websites online is that most of them are free.  One can meet new friends free of charge.  This is because the pursuit of friendship is often not used for the purpose of financial rewards; these sites were not put up for profit.  They are made to celebrate platonic relationships and interaction among peoples the world over.

Why settle for people within the community when you can reach out beyond the borders of your own country? These websites bring people of different ages and nationalities to interact, as well as promote peace and goodwill throughout the globe.  Through chat rooms, forums and email exchanges, a person can converse with a friend with different customs and traditions.  Hence, friendship websites allow an individual to have a diverse set of friends.

Being an introvert who spends most of her time with books, music and foreign literature, it was a bit hard to make women friends because I tend to keep things to myself.

I mean I’m not the type of outgoing girl who regularly go shopping or hanging out in bars/clubs. I don’t read gossip magazines at all and I don’t like to watch “sex and the city”.

Last June, I got out of a 3-year marriage and moved to Seattle. It wasn’t a good marriage by standards and I had enough of my ex-husband. So I took a new job and wanted to leave everything behind to have a fresh start at things.

It wasn’t really easy because I was totally new to the city and I had no relatives or friends in town. For a few months I didn’t have much of a social life. While in the office I managed to get acquainted with a few colleagues but that’s as far it went, people kept to themselves in the office due to the job’s semi-competitive nature. (I was a sale representative).
I was awfully lonely at that time & really wanted someone to hang out with. Being the introvert that I was, I decided to make a change and aggressively expand my social circle.

One year later, I have several groups of good friends that I hang out with regularly and we have really fond friendships. We’ve had our share of fights & making ups, we went through tough times with each other on the side, and we shared memories full of touching tears and laughs.

I finally watched “sex and the city”, and I’m glad that the kind of the friends I made are just like those in the show if not better. Having true friends instead of “frenemies”is a really valuable fortune that I wouldn’t trade anything for.

I used to be a hardcore introvert and I still possess some introvertial characteristics to this day. I was nervous around people and my heart would pound rapidly every time I say something and an entire group of people set their eyes on me. I was shy. During friends’ outings I would be the quite one in the group nurturing my food & drinks without saying a word, and silently wonder why did I even accept this invitation to come here. Deep down I didn’t believe in friendships and needless to say, I was lonely.

My introvertial characteristics were the results of a set of philosophical values that I subconciously form when I was growing up. I believed one should dedicate her time entirely to her career success and pursuit of ultimate freedom, happiness & wealth; Hanging out with people and do things was a waste of time in my opinion, which was too extreme and twisted now that I think about it. After experiencing countless times of unexplained frustration, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts, I had come to the conclusion that I was too lonely to live a normal life, and I needed to change.

If you’re looking for a friendship website where you can connect with people online and develop a long & meaningful friendly relationship with them, then I’m going to have to disappoint you because from my experience those websites just don’t work well.

Truth be told, even though there’re plenty of websites for friendship being scattered across the entire cyber space, some of them even have fancy features and contents such as friendship e cards, online friendship gifts, famous friendship quotes & friendship sayings etc., everything friendship related, there’s only a slim chance that you’ll be able to find good friends there.

People make friends because they find them trustworthy, dependable, share common interests, have similar values & possess good nature, not because they’re desperate and want to find friends. I know I’m being very harsh here, but I have to be harsh since it’s probably one of the most important lessons that we as human beings have to learn.