1. Do: Be yourself.
Just because someone else has traveled to more countries than you or has met the Queen of England does not mean that your life is lame in comparison. You should not feel ashamed of who you are. The great thing about online friends is that your friend pool consists of the whole world. Out of roughly 7 billion people in the world, you are guaranteed to find friends who do like you for who you are already. You do not have to impress anyone.
2. Don't: Post personal information on a public site.
Public sites are what they are named for. They are PUBLIC. Be careful what you post for people to see. If you do choose to share information with someone you meet online, make sure it is in a private message. To be safe, there are also alternative apps that allow you to message without providing your phone number or e-mail. This way you can build a friendship with someone without putting your privacy at risk.
3. Do: Treat the person as if they are people you see in your everyday life.
Be consciousness of what you post. People still have feelings whether you meet them online or in person. If you would not say it to a friend in person, then it might not be a good idea to say it to a friend online. Second, online friendships take as much effort as friendships you maintain in person. Keeping in touch is a key aspect to staying friends. Similar to going out with friends for drinks, you should try to designate a couple of minutes to call your online friend.
4. Don't: Ignore old friends for new friends.
Making new friends is exciting. You want to learn everything about them from their middle name to their deepest fears. You are learning new things you never knew. Sure, this is a fantastic experience, but do not forget about the friends you already have too. Life is about balance. Try your best to give equal amounts of time to all of your friends. There is no point in making friends, if you are only going to replace them for new people later on.
5. Do: Make sure you are friends for the right reasons.
Friendships are two-way streets. If you are only befriending people online to appear popular, then you need to log off social media now. Do not take advantage of other people's kindness to boost your self-confidence. On the other hand, do not allow your friendliness to be take advantage of by others. It is important to make sure that both of your intentions are pure before your friendship proceeds any further. Eventually, you will realize that you will not be friends with everyone you meet online, and that is okay. It would be impossible to truly be a genuine and attentive friend to all of your 300 Twitter followers.
6. Don't: Allow your feelings to cloud your judgement.
It is easy to trust someone who you view as a great friend, but do not let that guilt trip you into not checking if your friend is who they say they are. You do have the right to be suspicious if your friend doesn't want to talk on the phone, video chat, or even meet in person. Facts are, if they are avoiding all contact with you besides written communication, you are probably being catfished by an imposter. This does not mean that everyone online is dishonest; it just means that you have to be weary of who you choose to befriend.
