A friend is someone who doesn't play games or lie to you. Whether it's online or in real life. Deep meaningful conversations are actually the foundation for a solid friendship.
I'm friends with someone I met online 12 years ago. We speak on the phone and text. We've never met in person. It doesn't mean he's any less of a friend than the ones I see in person. As a matter of fact, he's a closer friend than a few of them.

What is a friend? Someone who listens when you need to talk, someone who comforts you when you cry, laughs with you when you laugh. Someone who gets angry when you get hurt, gives you the benefit of the doubt.

Online friends are not always available. Neither are real life friends.

I think online friends are very real.

The Internet was once a place where you could make long-term friendships, but now it is a place where people come and go or continuously move from one conversation to the next. Plenty of people are friendly, but yet they are entertaining so many other people, that it is difficult to establish anything consistent with them.

Over the years on four sites I've met a lot of people and made lots of friends and still friends after ten years....I talk to them more often than real friends...

I think so. I have several friends who I’ve known only online but still consider them to be real and true. I don’t mean online “lovers,” I mean friends.

My thoughts go both ways on this one. I like what Harry said.... online friends can be every bit or better than offline friends. That being said, I’ve been disappointed by a few close friendships here - but - that can happen in real life friendships too, I suppose. It seems easier for people to do that online for some reason.... not sure why.

If u meet them for real, i guess then u can, right?

What defines friendship then if not such aspects?

I think so. This has been happening for years, people had pen pals before.

I have people online that I care very much for and consider them to be friends.

I've made true online friends.

Well it depends