How to Keep Friends Once You Have Them

The following article is a guest post by Amy Tori.

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With the heavy emphasis on social media and Internet connections in today’s society, it has becoming increasingly more difficult for people to establish genuine connection with other people.

Funny enough, although technology has laid the foundations for never-before-seen levels of social networking, we have, in turn, become more removed from traditional human interactions. People with all the necessary tools to make friends now lack the instincts to foster those connections. What use is social media if people have trouble making friends in the first place? For these reasons, a little helping hand might be in order.

Scott Peterson, a customer service agent at Owlmetrics, suggests that taking risks and being adventurous is one of the best ways to not only make friends, but also to gain new experiences. As the owner of an Instagram analytics app, Peterson is well-acquainted with the behaviors of social media users, which certainly lends insight into the mannerisms of people in real life.

As Peterson says, “You won’t get anywhere in life if you don’t take chances. That goes for advancing professionally, personally, and socially; being timid won’t do you any favors.” Making friends and so many other important hallmarks of our lives require an initial, uncomfortable step to reap any rewards. Peterson’s advice may spell out a daunting task to most, but being outgoing in your endeavors is necessary for many pursuits in life, including making some friends.

However, simply taking opportunities to meet new people doesn’t guarantee lasting friendships. In fact, it takes much more interaction to foster strong relationships. Dana VanDeCar, COO of OptimallyOrganic, recommends making a concerted effort to regularly engage with friends and treat them fairly.

As simple as this may sound, VanDeCar’s advice rings especially true in a society where connections are fleeting and temporary, as the Internet trivializes the meaning of individual relationships.

VanDeCar states, “What are friends if you don’t engage each other? To keep friends in your lives, you need to show them that care with continued interactions and kindness.” VanDeCar’s words carry significance in a time when human interactions have been largely replaced with social media communications. Expending the effort to engage your friends regularly in real life can go a long way in creating enduring friendships.

In many senses, friendship and reliability are synonymous. Both correlate with dependability and trustworthiness. Mark Webb, managing partner of Real PDL Help, suggests that being a helping hand in people’s lives tends to increase their opinion of you. Deceptively simple advice, right? It does make a lot of sense, though; be dependable and people will be more likely to keep you around in their lives.

In addition, they’ll be much more likely to return the favor, which just strengthens friendships both ways. As Webb says, “Reliability and friendship go hand in hand. Think about it. The friends you’ll want to keep closest in life are those who you feel you can trust and confide in. That is just one of the truths of sustaining friendships.”

Beyond engaging friends, being dependable and trustworthy is tantamount in keeping friendships going. Following all of these steps ensures a better understanding of how to make friends and keep them around.