Recently I posted about the advantages of Online Friends. Online friends is the term I use for people online with whom I actually communicate via the net. I know who they are, and they know who I am.

There are also people online, rather famous people. People I know, but who don’t have any idea who I am. I call these people “my imaginary friends”.

Here I mention three of them, who I find are imaginary friends worth having.

One of my imaginary friends is Gary Taubes, the science reporter who has university degrees from Harvard, from Stanford, and from Columbia….and not just easy degrees, but in Physics, Aerospace Engineering, and Journalism.

I’ve read his two books, Good Calories Bad Calories (2007) , and Why We Get Fat And What To Do About It (2011), plus I’ve watched his university lectures on YouTube.  As a result of this, I’m convinced Taubes is an intellectual Genius.

Another of my imaginary friends is Tom Naughton, the comedian and writer who produced the movie “Fathead”. I got it from Amazon and watched it several times; watched his YouTube lecture; and have read his blog. As a result of this, I know that Naughton is both intelligent and amusing.

A third imaginary friend is Brad Pilon, a bodybuilder who wrote the e-book, Eat Stop Eat, about the subject of Intermittent Fasting. I bought that book, and read it.  I’ve also watched all of his YouTube videos, and read his blog. As a result of this, I think Pilon is articulate with muscles.

So, recently I saw an online connection between these three people. Tom Naughton did an excellent interview of Gary Taubes. For those interested, it can be found at:

Tom Naughton’s Interview With Gary Taubes

Then, imagine my surprise when Tom Naughton wrote a blog about Intermittent Fasting and mentioned that he had Brad Pilon’s YouTube video.

I suddenly realized….My Imaginary Friends are playing together.

There are many advantages to having Online Friends.
The basic requirement is access to a personal computer.
Location is not a barrier, nor are time-differences.

Age differences between adults; issues of personal appearance;
and differences in health or even grooming habits
tend to be smoothed away.

What remains is the core of the human being.
It is the very essence of a person that gets shared online.

That sense of anonymity that comes with online sharing,
gives even timid people more courage to speak their minds.
And access to a search engine will lead us to others who share common interests.

We can make friends easily and quickly online,
because we aren’t hindered by the daily conventions of society.
We can talk only about the things that interest us,
with people we like, whenever we choose to do so,
and we can totally ignore conversations that aren’t of personal interest.

Online friendships take as much or as little time as one prefers.
Which is usually not the case with in-person friendships.
“Real” life friendships must be nurtured
by meetings, dinners, parties, and get-togethers.
All of these events take time and effort,

For example, if I have people over for dinner,
I have to have a clean house, buy special food, prepare it,
present it in an attractive way, and clean up after.
I have to dress appropriately, and be present all during the event
during which I must spend time visiting with everyone invited,
and the conversation will include subjects in which I’m not interested,
and perhaps would even rather avoid.

For example, if I attend a birthday party,
I have to select, buy and wrap an appropriate gift.
I then dress up, drive there, and spend a specific amount of time being
sociable with the other guests, some of whom I might not know or like,
including the friends and family members of my host/hostess,
involving myself in discussions about things that are of little interest to me.

Then…of course….as someone who continually diets,
the entire food issue is to be considered.
What will they serve? What will I choose to eat?
Can I satisfy the individual rules of my diet and still please my hostess?
Online friendships simply skip the whole process.

I love the convenience of Online Friends