One of the coolest things about blogging is the awesome network of friends that you get to make. My teenagers think its hilarious that I talk about my blogging/blog reader buddies all the time. “Mum you talk about them and the funny things they say as if they’re REAL people! Mums living in a virtual illusion world with fake friends haha.” And I whine, “But they are real people and they say the funniest/coolest/most insightful things, honest!” Maybe only other bloggers will truly understand what I’m talking about…sigh.
I have friends now, met through the blog world, that I text and email regularly,Tweet daily, share recipes and baking disasters with ( and rugby player pics with), commiserate about children with, friends that I turn to for inspiration and fun. Some of these blogger friends are even helping to plan the Samoa book launch. We are all writing/reading from different parts of the globe but blogging makes it possible for us to ‘hang out’ and talk about anything and everything. Some bloggers are on their own book publishing journeys and its a buzz to see their progress towards that finished manuscript and book deal. Some blog readers have become the people I most look forward to tweeting with because they are hilarious and when I need a break from my crazy day, I know I can check in with them and they will be talking about more reasons why they think Daniel (in the Telesa book) should be singing to THEM in the moonlight. ( Yeah, Wedgyna and Tim, you know who you are! lol) I learn so much from my blog friends and readers. And they have been so supportive with my TELESA book. Like…
Today at The Write Obsession book reviewer and author/blogger Lan is sharing her experience with reading Telesa. Lan is an Australian writer who loves The Hunger Games series as much as I do ( maybe more) and always has insightful conversations happening on her blog. She’s giving away TWO print copies of TELESA so head over there and be in to win yours!
So today, I want to come out of the virtual closet and announce with pride, “Yes, it’s true – I am a woman with more virtual online friends than ‘real life’ ones. Thank you everyone for making the internet such an awesome place to hang out. Thank you for being a ‘blog-buddy’, a ‘tweep’, a FB fun-maker…You rock.” (and yes, now my teenagers will have more ammunition to mock me with, aaargh.)
How about you? Are you hanging your head in shame as your children tease you about your blogworld virtual friends? Is your partner getting jealous of all the time you spend reading/chatting on blogs everywhere? (Please tell me that I’m not the only person with such a shameful secret.)
Lani Wendt Young 
I confess – I too have many more online friends than 'real' ones. My partner knows I blog and fb all the time – but he doesn't seem to mind all that much since that mean's he doesn't have to sit there and listen to me talk to him about things he would consider to be 'boring'. So its a win win situation for him. Lol.
I don't know if I have more friends who are bloggers but I think the conversations I have with my blogger friends are certainly more meaningful to me. More than anything I love being on the writing journey with all my blogger friends and watching (reading?) them succeed. Am so glad to be a part of your blogger life Lani 🙂
A good friend is hard to find…and I'm not the best at keeping in contact with people. Online friends are great for people like me cos I can pretend I'm not/haven't been online *OMG my secret is OUT!!)lol. Where as in 'real life' (gosh even that sounds tragic lol) you can't HIDE as easily if you aren't in the mood/can't be bothered to see or talk to anyone – which for me is most of the time LOL
I am super glad we met through the blogging world and can share our love of writing and hot shirtless swoonworthy men. I also swear that we are married to long lost twins!! Continued luck with Telesa, it's such a great book!!!
JOan – thats an excellent point. I need to point that out to the Hot Man next time he rolls his eyes at me on the laptop. Again! Lan i wonder if the meaningful conversations thing is because the pressure of actually hanging out in person is removed? and because writing stuff down via email/blog etc means you have to think
OMG you know Wedgyna??? ♫ It's a (ridiculously) small world after all ♫Bina and I were talking about this just the other day… We even briefly contemplated a bloggers meeting event thingy, imagine that! And they say that social media encourages anti-social behaviour. Nay I say! Nay!
Just admit it…you like us more than those fleshie friends. :)Tirz
I am the same way. Now I am not sure if i have more blog friends than real life ones, but I definitely like the blog ones more than some of the real life ones. I agree that usually they are much funnier!