A question about meeting and making friends?

Oh yeah! And not just grumpy. It can even lead to health problems, elevated blood pressure, headaches, etc.

I have a couple of very close friends who understand me and give me the time I need, even when they really need to visit. It is very sweet of them and I love them for it.

I think I am probably more introverted than shy. Sounds like you are too. Here's an article I enjoy about the care and feeding of introverts:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200303/rauch

I don't agree with all of it -- especially the part about our being more intelligent. We just have a different operating system.
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"You want to know how to really do a favor for your kids? Throw 'em in a room and leave them the #*%@ alone!" -- Gearge Carlin.

Excellent article! I found myself laughing repeatedly as I recognized my introvert ways on exhibit. I really loved this bit:

I married an introvert, after an unsuccessful marriage to an extrovert. Wow...the great feeling of my shoulders unwrapping themselves from my head was worth all the strife!

Hi, my name is P S, and I'm an introvert.

OMG! Higher than normal blood pressure at times.. check. Stress headaches when nothings really going on... check. I've even been known to go snooze through evening primetime to get to the quiet night hours when people are calm or sleeping.

I'll have to agree, and thanks for the great article. Sounds like the author hasn't had any luck in getting the outgoing people in their life to understand them either *sighs*. I'll point my "favoritely annoying" extrovert towards that article and cross my fingers... the odds can't be that much worse than buying lottery tickets hehe.

Of course I understand the dictionary definition. But I have NEVER been shy. I could give instances of my extrovert behaviour even from age 2 and I was always a bane for my teachers (who I believe found me annoying in the extreme - although I always thought I was just being a good kid) Not being shy has paid off for me - I love audiences of all sorts.
Please dont think I am making fun of you or sneering in any way. I just cant imagine myself being truly myself if I am by myself. I like solitude but it's not my "essence". People add flame to my fire. I love people.
On a note that I am proud to add, I recently received an email from a friend who told me that when we were at school together she had been terribly lonely and afraid as a very shy "new girl" in a hard school. She told me that when I befriended her (she seemed so sad to me at the back of the room) my lack of shyness and my "in your face" precocity had got her through tough times. Whatever people think, being me and being extrovert and even mouthy is not so bad sometimes. Yeah and the Welshman will say something snarky no doubt.

I love being "I" - not ashamed of it. I was never brought up to not like who I was or am.

I'm exactly the same as Jig - an extrovert and NEED social contact as much as possible. Without it, I go stir-crazy, I hate being alone. My main complaint with SL is that at the times I'm logged on inworld, it's mostly devoid of real human life. I'll happily talk to anyone but most of those green dots I see on the map are bots, or campers, or people AFK because they're in bed. Although I have found a handful of places that are busy enough at Euro-friendly times, and I've made enough friends, it's just sad to me that 99% of the grid is empty.

I didn't need to.


Pie (Someone else said it even before you posted)

PS Or are you going to accuse them of being me as well! LMAO . . .

Not *exactly*.

Pie (You seem to make sense and are amusing)

Certainly not bad. There can be no shame in being outgoing. We intros just have trouble convincing people there is no shame in being the other way too.

Vive la difference!

I have always explained it like this...I recharge by being around people. Others recharge by being alone. Whatever way....we need what we need.

You (and anyone polite/friendly/non spammers) are welcome to join my group - it's in my SL profile. Its SOLE purpose is finding someone to hang with on a whim. Open group chat or IM someone else online in the group and ask if they'd like company - shopping, dancing, building, chatting, whatevs. At a moment's notice. I send out no promotions sales or spam, just rules/welcome note card, every so often for newcomers.

The more members, the likelier two people or more are in-world and bored at the same time. Give it a whirl if you like, it's free to join. The group is for PG activities. Our rules are Linden Labs' TOS and CS rules, be over 18 RL (mainly cos 'mature' things could develop regardless, in SL, and I can't control that); and of course no spam, no cursing/abuse, no misusing group for sales/promotions.

I dont like to flog the group (promote it here) but then again, it is FOR people: so the aim is to help in the telling. Busy people, shy people, people who like to roll on a whim, for a lot of reasons I think, and hope, SL'ers might benefit from being part of it.

I was hoping your group was still going. I still think it's a good idea, but would prefer to explore or dance or whatever in groups. That's going to be a little harder to make happen, but it still could. I'll try to remember to IM the group whenever I find something cool or new (to me) that someone else might want to see.

Would that be somewhere within the idea you had for the group, or should it be more geared toward that coupling thing that humans are so fond of?

Oh no Weston - anyone and everyone who feels like hanging out would be welcome...that is totally up to those involved.

You can ask the whole group out if you want to! In fact I've asked the group (the rules/welcome newcomers note card I sent out a week or more ago) what they think of having a group mixer to break the ice.

Yes definitely ask as many people along as you wish to! =)

I completely agree. I have always been very shy around people I just meet, especially in new situations where I don't know anyone at all (like a new job or school). But, once you get to no me, look out! (LOL). However, I never really thought myself as introverted until now, but maybe that's what I am. I'm the kind of person that will actually get very grouchy and bitchy if I don't have time to spend with myself doing what I want to do (usually reading, writing, online or, my favorite thing, napping...lol). If I'm spending the first couple of hours after work relaxing and my mom or someone drops by unexpectedly, look out! lol I'm the kind of person who loves to socialize but on my own terms. Sometimes, in SL, I can really get into what's going on around me and, as a noob, I love to attend classes. Other times, I just want to be left alone to explore or whatever.

Introvert/extrovert isn't a question of liking people or even liking to socialise.

Best definition I've heard is - does being around others charge your batteries or drain them after a while. Do your batteries charge when alone or drain?

Charging batteries when alone vs. eventually draining if around a group = introvert

Charging batteries when around other people vs. batteries draining if alone = extrovert

Seen that way there really is no positive or negative (heh) to it, just differences.