How to Make Friends Online?

The internet has been a powerful tool for connection over the last several decades. It has the power to bring people together in ways that used to be unimaginable. That said, the internet is a huge place, and making friends or finding people to connect with isn’t always easy. Fortunately, we’re here to help.
Read on to learn more about how you can make friends online. This article takes you through some of the best methods you can try, tools you can use, and even ways to verify someone’s identity.
4 Ways to Make Friends Online
Making friends online has never been easier. Plenty of social media platforms, gaming platforms, and other resources are available to help you make friends online. Plus, you can even leverage dating platforms and other tools to connect with people online.
Learn about some of our favorite methods below.
1. Use an App
There’s an app for everything these days, even one for making friends. If you want to make friends with people, you can use an app like Friender or even the friend versions of dating apps like Bumble. Furthermore, many of these apps can help you find love or people to date as well, so you can make more than friends online.
All you need to do is create a profile, outline your interests, and start searching for friends. Make sure you have similar interests and values before you match.
2. Join a Community
Whether you’re joining a community on a forum website like Reddit or through a Twitch chat, joining a community is one of the best ways to make friends online. Online communities contain groups of people with similar interests, so you already have common ground – just make sure you share the values of the community before you try this method.
If you’re looking for places to get started, we recommend using Reddit, Discord, Twitch, and other online forum websites.
3. Playing Online Video Games
If you like to play video games, we have some good news for you: making friends online can be as simple as speaking with people in your lobby. Think about it – you already have a common interest and something to talk about, so all that’s left to do is strike up a conversation.
This only works with online games, and you may be at the mercy of the lobby you enter, but it’s definitely possible to meet new people. Plus, games are available on computers, smartphones, and consoles like the Xbox Series X, so you have plenty of options if you have specific gaming preferences.
4. Social Media
Social media is also a great place to make friends online. After all, this is what social media was designed for – being social. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and even LinkedIn can help you connect with new users.
While social media is effective, you may have to put in some effort to meet new people. We recommend commenting on posts, joining groups on platforms like Facebook, and networking on LinkedIn for the best results.
While more complicated than some of the other methods, social media reveals more information about people than some of the other methods we covered.
How to Stay Safe When Making Friends Online?
When you’re making friends online, staying safe is important. Ultimately, you need to make sure you’re speaking with genuine people, and the internet has made it easy for people to lie about their identity, or at least stretch the truth.
This is where websites like FreePeopleSearch.com come into play. You can run a search on a free people finder that reveals everything publicly available about someone. This can help you verify someone’s identity and make sure they are who they claim to be. If you ever plan to meet anyone online in person, we recommend running a people search first.
You can also leverage social media and other tools to learn more about people you connect with online.
Make Friends Online Today
Making friends online has never been easier. Plenty of apps, websites, and forums have made it possible to connect with users around the world. Plus, playing online video games and joining specific communities can help you make friends online in a matter of minutes.
While making friends online has never been easier, it’s also never been more dangerous. Always run a free people search on people you meet online with the information you have available to stay safe.