We met online

This morning I hightailed it up to the big smoke for the chance to have a quick dumpling lunch with Mrs Woog and Mama Marmalade with the chance of catching up with All Consuming on the side if she could squeeze us in. My idea of heaven! Mags and I made good time and were at Chatswood scoffing down a salt and pepper prawn quicker than I could talk (which was VERY fast). We scoffed lunch, managed to catch up with Kim afterwards as she pushed Mags about as I shopped. Talking, laughing, eating, shopping, all so good for the soul.

It’s funny, all of these friendships were formed online. I remember telling my Mum that I was catching up with other bloggers years ago and her in a state of panic about me meeting a stranger. Oh the friendships I have made from this blog. Some amazing women: all smart and funny, through divorces, deaths, babies being born, husbands dying, brothers killing themselves, cancer treatments, mundane life, kids with learning troubles, kids being happy. Just plain old life: the good, bad and ugly.

I am constantly amazed at the people and places I’ve been all through online. Blogging, social media and online life can certainly cop some flak at times: telling us that it distracts us from being Mothers, exploiting children and the like but my GOD has it saved my life at times. Those connections, humour and friendships have helped me get through Motherhood and marriage and I am thank flu every day for the wonderful women I have met through it.

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Tonight Mrs Woog and I are heading to our online friend Julia’s book launch. While we haven’t met in person we certainly feel like we’re old friends and we can’t wait to support her with her book. You may have seen her on 60 Minutes last week.

With a belly full of dumplings, a soul filled with happiness from laughter and good friends and my wifi connecting automatically at my friends house as I sit at her dining room table writing this post while she snuggles Miss Maggs on the couch I thank GOODNESS for blogging and all it has given me.

Have you made some friends online before?

Comments

  1. I couldn’t agree more Beth. The folks I met these past four years of blogging have become some of my besties. I feel very lucky to have stumbled across this online life and them.
    Enjoy tonight x

  2. Awesome Beth! YES! I have met a couple of friends online too….. Only at the odd blogger conference though! πŸ™‚

  3. While I’m not a blogger – I sometimes think I’d like to be. I always enjoy reading others. I totally agree that Julie’s story is gold…

  4. My online friends have got me through some tough times. So glad you’re in your happy place right now. x

  5. I am not a blogger I just love reading them. My problem is remembering that I have never actually met these people that feel like friends. I frequently find myself saying to my husband “my friend on facebook just……said this…..posted that…..”. When he asks me who & I reply with Beth, Mrs Woog or Corrie (Retro Mummy) he just gives me a strange look. I actually sent an email to Corrie once asking for information when my daughter was invited to a party at a trampoline centre as her daughter had been badly hurt at one. I couldn’t believe it when she replied & actually recognised who I was. I always get such a huge thrill when I comment on one of my three favourite blogs & I get a reply to my comment. I am sure you, Mrs Woog & Corrie are drowning in things to respond to but the genuine friendliness you all show makes me feel like I am chatting with a friend. Lovely to see the great friendships between all the lovely bloggers too.

  6. Lisa Mckenzie says

    I love this post,yes I saw Julia on 60minutes I hope she gets a miracle thrown her way,enjoy your time with your Mrs Woog Beth Xx

  7. oh honey – that photo of us all! Love it. And of you and Amelia.

    So lucky we all found each other xxxx

  8. I’ve made some awesome friends through blogging and despite my mother’s concerns, not one of them has tried to throw me into the boot of their car or fleece me of money via some sort of dodgy pyramid scheme! Instead we’ve had a lot of laughs and more than our fair share of wine together. If nothing else, blogging is a great way to meet new people. Have fun tonight πŸ™‚

  9. I don’t blog but yes I’ve some lovely online friends:)

  10. a great post thanks beth!
    lovely energy and your megs is totally adorable!
    she’s been here before hun!
    I don’t blog but I feel connected to many bloggers!
    I think it is a great when people are being true to who they are!
    it shows! … love m:)X

  11. Oh, I needed this post from you this week… I was *this* close to sending you an email in despair at how you deal with the bad-ness, the trolls, the quesiness, the shutting your laptop and feeling SICK and wanting to walk away. After all these years of blogging, this week was the first time I wondered if I should walk away. I’ve never had it, but this week I did. Wooooo…

    Let’s just say who’s bloody idea was it to open up a survey to my readers?! WHOOOO?! I am thin skinned at the best of times. But you’re so right – the relationships, the community, the connections are all very real, often raw and always welcome… “profiteering and exploiting my daughter’s childhood” and everything. Haters gonna hate.

    :'(

    • I feel sad you have to deal with this Emma. I love reading your blog (don’t think I’ve commented before though…) I grew up a farm girl in Drouin and now live in Narre Warren with mostly grown children. I love being back on the land with you remembering the days of little babies and wide open spaces…I’m thin skinned too and know I couldn’t cope with what you’re dealing with, hence a private blog for me. Hope you can get through this and I can still be a friend over the web. Who knows, maybe one day in real life! β™₯ Cheryl

      • Thank you so much Cheryl! Of course the good always outweighs the bad, but you just can’t help harbouring that 1% of bad so much more and overthinking and agonising over the ONE silly comment rather than the hundreds of good. Please comment – don’t be shy! Sometimes I need nice comments and to know lovely people like you ARE reading and I’m not just talking to myself…or the trolls. xxx

  12. I love this! I’ve met some ripper friends online too. I feel incredibly fortunate to have met them through blogging when otherwise, our paths would never have crossed. Cheers to friends! x

  13. Only a year onto the blog thing but yes… I’ve already met some incredible blogging friends, some in real life which is just so special. It really warmed the heart seeing you all by Nikki’s side at the Telstra Biz Awards recently having all met online. So so lovely. Xx

  14. Social media has been an awesome way to meet friends when moving to a new place. In Hanoi, it was Twitter and the people I chatted with about where to eat and what to see soon became friends in real life. Doing an exercise program in Hanoi on my own, I connected with a group of girls doing it in Brunei and was soon joining them every year in Kota Kinabalu to run Since moving to the Barossa, Instagram has been a great way to meet new people. I’ve had a few funny interactions at the Farmer’s Markets meeting Insta friends in real life and there have been times where I think, “do I know you or have I just see your pics?” Sadly my blog hasn’t been quite the vehicle for engagement I’d hoped but then I don’t write as often as I should. The microblogging aspect of Instagram suits me.

  15. totally agree, I’ve made many wonderful friends online. Meeting in the flesh was a bit daunting at first, totally get where you mum is coming from, I took a “real” friend along to my first instameet!

    a couple of years ago I was having dumplings at New Shanghai when a kid at the next table knocked their drink on the floor, it smashed on my foot. There was a flurry of horrified apologies, I turned around to say “no problem, I’m totally fine” just managed to stop myself saying “oh my god Mrs Woog!” πŸ˜‰

  16. The people I’ve met and people who’s paths I’ve crossed have been far and away the thing I’ve loved most about blogging. I totes wish I could have been there tonight. I am sure it was a night of awesome x

  17. I totally agree with Heidi D’s comment. I love all the blogs I frequently read and love sharing the joys and laughs and often cry along with the sorrows. I too feel like you are my personal friends…..although I did feel a bit like I was meeting a celebrity when I met you once Beth. I have met a few bloggers now and on a recent trip to France stayed in a beautiful guest cottage in Normandy, owned by a blogger…..so this online world is amazing!

  18. I so loved this post. It truly is amazing how you meet people around you and the impact they have on your lives. The friendships that you have formed Beth, you can see through the photos are so full of love. I’m so glad that you got to finally meet Julia in the flesh and laugh and talk. oxoox

  19. Love the blogging community!

  20. I’m so grateful for the friendships I’ve formed online. Some of the best people ever have come into my life this way. x

  21. Met my hubby and BFF online (in a chat room, remember them?!) There’s the good, bad the ugly on the interwebs but I’ve done good with my 2 πŸ™‚

  22. Met my husband online, and our witness at our wedding was a friend I met online!

  23. I’ve been meeting friends online since just after high school! Firstly it was Harry Potter forum/fan fic writing friends, now it’s evolved into sharing rooms with blogging ‘strangers’ at conferences who turn into good friends!

  24. Oh Beth, where would I be without my virtual friends…. I would be even nuttier than I already am. xxx

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