Over the last year or two I have made more & more effort to reach out and say hi to people I'm loosely friends with on social media. You know, the people you're mutuals with - you like each other's stuff, you chat with each other in the comments, but you're not, like friends friends, y'know?
I think social media can be a great first step for meeting new people with similar interests, but it's never going to be very good at fostering more tangible relationships or community (not even Cohost). It's really just not built for it! Posts are incredibly open - comments are a mix of people you've talked to for years and total strangers. You'll chat with people you'll never meet again, and in general people are just less likely to really open up; there's no conversation. Friendships are more than that, they're intimate. Speaking one on one with someone, or in a small trusted group, is an entirely different kind of communication.
So I've been trying to reach out to people more. Unlike in-person, I'm strangely shy online. I get nervous saying hello to new people, even if I know they're nice! But I've been pushing myself a little - I've started messaging people I know on Discord, or in Twitter DMs, or sending emails, just saying hi. And the response has always been kind - not everyone wants to be Best Friends, of course (so many of us are way too busy as it is, haha) but it's always been a positive experience. I've had the chance to really meet a lot of lovely people & make new friends & have long wonderful conversations. I even started a tiny discord for a few folks from an old forum who were slowly drifting apart over the years, and it's been so so nice to keep up with them! I've had friends reach out and say hi to me too, and it's totally made my day more than once.
Reaching out is scary! And it's not always going to work out, and that's okay. But... there are so many people I know online who I respect, who I've shared jokes with, or so many people who admire my work and whose work I admire in return... I really don't want to let that fade.
(this started out as a really long comment but i liked it so now it is forged in stone)
(when i make new online friends we always end up talking about gamedev or yuri or guilty gear strive. it rules)
it's all still true

