'an FB friend is not the same as a real life one'

Spot on--so why do you need them at all?

I disagree. I know personally almost all my FB friends. There are a couple that I haven't met (yet), but whom I've "known" on various internet forums for a considerable time, so accepted friend requests from them.

For me, without the internet, my social life would be much more impoverished, certainly much more local, than it is. FB is just a continuation of the methods I use to stay in touch with many people I have contact with mainly over the internet and to a greater or lesser extent in real life.

The first time I met someone in real life who I'd first corresponded with over the net was in 1991...an American lady I corresponded with through Compuserve Forums. We met in he UK in a very public place and we're still friends. Since then I've met IRL literally hundreds of people who I first encountered on-line, and many have become firm friends. In the next month I'll be ging to a house-party in Derbyshire, a climbing meet in Elterwater, a drinks meet in Huddersfield and a walking break in Wales, all with people I first met on-line who have now become real-life friends.

In the last 2 years I've been to 4 gatherings each of 50 plus people who first "knew" each other through on-line forums for people with shared interests. Several have become friends who I visit when I'm in another part of the country, or who visit me when they're nearby

Since joining Mudcat I've met maybe 10-12 'catters in the flesh, at events that I mainly wouldn't have known about if I hadn't been on the forum here. One or two may become real friends in time.

Much of this social life is now arranged via FB. Far from things like FB turning me into a reclusive nerd who only communicates virtually, they've enriched my life immeasurably. I now go to far more climbing, walking, music, running and general "fitness" events around the country (and have places to stay near them) than I'd have been able to if I hadn't developed this extensive network of virtual friends who've morphed ito real ones. I can post on one (non-running) Forum that I'll be attending, say, the Reading Half Marathon and immediately get "me too" posts from maybe 10 others who are up for a pre-race meet, mutual support during the run and a drink and natter afterwards. I'll have met maybe 6 or 7 before but there'll be new faces too....known to one of the others who I *do* know.

I'm reasonably careful with security, I think, and not all the personal info I post on some forums in necessarily 100% accurate, but in 20 years of using internet forums, newsgroups and bulletin boards I've never had a problem. And I can count on the fingers of one hand the people I've "liked" on-line who I subsequently didn't like after meeting them IRL.