Internet personals aren't just for people who want love or sex. Many people use them to meet other interesting individuals, fully expecting that those people could ultimately be better friends than lovers. This is both a healthy and a realistic attitude, and as long as you are interacting with outers who share a similar outlook, you should have the best possible experience meeting online.

There are some sites on which you are more likely to be able to do this than others. Some sites for internet personals tend to attract clientele who are looking for sexual relationships and consider that an immediate priority. Generally, those aren't sites where you're going to make friends or end up friends with someone who doesn't turn out to be the romantic partner for you.

Making Friends Online

Some sites, however, draw users who often begin by saying in their profiles that they're interested in making friends as well as meeting people to date. This is particularly true of some sites with significant gay and lesbian populations. Often gay and lesbian individuals would like to make some friends in their area with whom they could hang out, even if there's no romantic chemistry. You could put something in your profile like "Looking for guys to meet up at Splash," and people will know that you're interested in making friends as well as finding a potential boyfriend.

People who are going to move also frequently hope to make some friends in advance by using internet personals. There aren't very many straight people who post that they're looking for same-sex friends in their profiles, but sometimes chat rooms pertaining to specific interests will yield friends who happen to live where you're going. If you think that men and women can be friends (the thesis of When Harry Met Sally aside), however, you might be able to use the personals to find some good new friends who will make your transition to a new area a lot easier.