Taking SL to RL..

We met at Tringo, one night. We didn't have any common friends or anything. Just a random encounter. I was lucky enough to be winning some decent money for a change and she was playing the jealous opponent, threatening to snipe me out of the game so she would have a better chance at winning.

We became friends over the next 2 weeks, just chatting in IM's and meeting up once in a while in-game... And that slowly evolved until we did indeed become partners in-game. In parallel, we started chatting outside of the game.

We've been happily married since April and are living together and our first child is on the way... *does a happy dance*

Wendel

Face-to-face with webcams will probably make it a lot less awkward when you meet. Also, you can get a chance to see how they REALLY look, independent from the one photo they sent you that was taken in half-darkness and from a peculiar angle.

Meeting someone after 1 month seems really fast to me, but that's just me. I have not met people in RL after having met them in SL. However, the reverse has happened. I would not be opposed to meeting someone in RL if I had them either as a friend or a partner in SL. I'd probably meet them at an airport or a coffee shop (depending on mode of travel, distance, etc.) and take it from there.

That's cool - congratulations on the baby on the way! I'd love to know more since I'm a writer and naturally nosey... In fact, would you be interested in sharing your story if I wanted to write about it? Totally understand if not, but I think it's fab that you met in SL and now have a baby on the way in RL. And I love that she was so competitive in SL when you met! I guess she was a challenge?!

Be Very Careful, Its Hard Mixing The Two......i Personally Would Keep Sl Seperate, But I Wish You All The Best And Hope It Does Work Out For You...

But Saying That I Met A Wonderful Man In Sl Through Friends In Rl In Sl ....its Just Gone Pete Tong At The Moment........but Thats Men For You Hehehehe.....still Got My Sense Of Humour Tho...lol

I've had only good experiences meeting friends from online but I'd like to offer some advice/suggestions.

First, meeting someone in SL or Online provides the "perfect" setting that allows you to see that person in the best possible light. Unfortunately, RL isn't SL in that RL includes all the issues that you just don't have to deal with in SL.

The dangerous part of meeting someone online is that it is easy to present a "grass is greener on the other side" mentality. You log on, forget about your job, bills, stress, etc and generally have fun...keep in mind that the other "perfect" person you are playing with is doing the exact same thing most likely. Not always, but commonly is, it's an escape from reality in some ways which may not convert well when you meet in RL because many other factors will come into play.

If you're going to meet someone in person (travelling great distances at great expense), you'd be CRAZY not to at least webcam with the person to know at least physically who you are dealing with and to have a somewhat "live" interaction with them to get a feel for their personality and not try to judge it from their : )'s and emotes in a text chat. Chances are, you both probably aren't models, but at least you can verify the person is human, and roughly the age and gender they say they are, etc. I know it's hard to believe, but some people intentionall or unintentionally view and describe themselves differently than how you would describe them if you saw them yourself. Don't put too much stock in the webcam other than basic confirmation as it works both ways in that people can act differently while in front of a camera than when in a relaxed setting...(example: failing miserably on a typing test while you normally type fine otherwise)

Also, don't be so quick to feel the need to meet everyone. A SL relationship is a real relationship sans the physical part. It doesn't matter one bit what the person on the other end does or looks like outside of SL if you are focused on their SL personality and imagination and enjoying your time.

Keep both eyes open and good luck!

good reply zed