The Internet is not only a virtual (虚拟的) world but also has become a necessity for people. With the development of the Internet, online friendship has also become very popular. Online friends are those people who have known each other through the Internet. Making online friends is the same as making pen friends.

Many famous websites offer quite warm online friendship. One can find many people who share the same interests on these websites. It is difficult to make friends with someone you can’t see or feel. That is the main problem of online friendship. A virtual friendship would not last forever without seeing each other, but it is an advantage for some people because they are afraid to speak in public.

On the other hand, the chances of cheating (欺骗) are very high in an online friendship. Some people make friends on the Internet with wrong intentions (企图). So while making friends over the Internet, one has to be very careful. Here are some suggestions for you.

● Do not give personal information, such as your telephone number, address, location, school name as well as your parents’ information, to strangers on the Internet.

● Do not exchange personal photos of you or any family member with people you meet over the Internet.

● Do not go to meet a person you have just met over the Internet. You’d better ask older or other experienced people for advice if you want to go to meet an online friend.

● Do not accept someone’s request (要求) if you feel he or she is dishonest.