Making Friends Online? Here’s What To Talk About

Struggling to break the ice? Explore our guide for engaging topics and conversation starters when meeting new people or maintaining long-term friendships.

Meeting new people online and breaking the ice can be nerve-wracking — especially when you don’t know what to talk about. 

But don’t fret; while engaging with people you don’t know invites a lot of uncertainty, it’s also a great opportunity to create a lasting connection. You never know what people are interested in until you ask. So, let’s focus on what to ask them!

Whether you’re chatting with complete strangers or catching up with long-time friends, we’ve got some conversation starters you can use as inspiration. Start a discussion and keep it going with the topics and prompt questions in this blog. Plus, we’re throwing in a few tips and best practices for meeting new people online. 

Before the Conversation: Tips for Meeting New People

Now, before you actually start a conversation, you have to find ways to meet new people. While this can happen organically in person, it’s much easier to accomplish this goal online. Here are some platforms you can use to connect with new friends and best practices to follow once you get to that point. By using these tips, you can set your conversations up for success:

Use Platforms and Apps To Meet New People

Whether you’re looking to meet cool people in a new city after moving, want to connect with individuals who share similar interests or simply want to engage in interesting discussions, using platforms or apps focused on making friends is the best approach. 

Here are some popular platforms you can try out:

• Azar: A social discovery service that enables users to meet new people from all over the world. Azar Video Chat provides the perfect way to safely speak with strangers digitally face to face, discuss shared interests and create instant connections. 
• Yubo: Allows users to make a profile, swipe on other people’s accounts they may be interested in chatting with and start private messages either via text or video. 
• LMK: A talk-based app that enables people to use either DM-style messaging seen in most apps or voice chats. It also allows people to chat one-on-one or in a large group, making it great for extroverts wanting to be in a group chat without giving out their numbers. 
• Bumble BFF: While the original Bumble platform is for romantic relationships, Bumble BFF is the same concept but for platonic friends. Individuals can make a profile, add a quick bio and swipe right on their favorites before making small talk. 

Overcome Nerves With Mindfulness

If meeting new people — either online or in person — makes you nervous, you’re not alone. Most people experience some form of social anxiety when meeting new people or being put in uncertain situations. If you fall into this category, it can be helpful to practice mindfulness. Focus on your breathing to calm your nerves and take slow, deep breaths to help relax your body and mind. 

If you know you’re about to meet new people (perhaps when logging into Azar for a video chat), preparing ahead can help you feel mentally ready. Think about topics and questions you can ask people and come up with a few common answers just so you’re able to keep the conversation going. It’s also beneficial to visualize the conversation going well. Imagine yourself feeling calm, confident and making a first impression, and that’s exactly what will happen!

Utilize Basic Internet Friendship Etiquette

Just like when interacting with people in person, you should always strive to be polite and respectful. This is especially important in the digital environment where things can be misinterpreted. There’s an unfortunate misconception that because online interactions happen behind a screen, people have the right to treat others differently than they would during in-person conversations. This is obviously not true. Every person you meet digitally deserves respect and dignity. 

Remember People’s Names

If you have a bad memory or struggle with remembering people’s names, here are a few strategies to help:

• Repeat their name: When you meet someone online, repeat their name back to them. For example, “Nice to meet you, [person’s name].” This simple act can reinforce the name in your memory.
• Associate the name: Try to associate the individual’s name with something memorable about them, like their appearance, occupation or shared interest. By doing this, you can create a mental connection that can help you recall the name later on.
• Use mnemonics: Create a mnemonic device so you can associate the person’s name with a word or image that sounds or looks similar. For instance, Hannah banana or fancy Nancy. 
• Visualize the name: Visualizing the person’s name written out or imagining it associated with their face can help reinforce the name in your mind. 

Always Be Yourself

You’ve most likely heard the tip to be yourself, but it truly is critical when creating new connections. It helps you create more authentic connections because people appreciate sincerity and are drawn to those who are genuine and real. It also helps build trust among new faces, enabling them to be open and honest with you. Lastly, being yourself enables you to easily communicate with people, avoiding the exhausting facade of pretending to be someone you’re not. By expressing yourself and being authentic, you can find other people interested in being themselves as well. 

Be Wary of Red Flags

While you should be fully yourself and trusting, there are things that you should be aware of when connecting with people you’ve never met before. Unfortunately, the internet is full of people who have ill intentions, even on innocent platforms meant for finding friends. It’s important to pay attention to scams, catfishing and other types of hacker activity so you’re safe:

• Approach every conversation with a healthy amount of skepticism: Most people are genuine, but it’s vital you pay attention to inconsistencies, people who attempt to rush friendships too quickly or ask for personal information that doesn’t seem related to the conversion. 

• Protect your personal information: Be cautious about sharing sensitive personal information online, such as your address, phone number or financial details. Legitimate individuals won’t pressure you to disclose that information.

• Trust your instincts: If something feels off, trust your gut and proceed with caution. It’s better to be safe than sorry, even in situations that seem harmless. 

Azar provides you tools to help keep you safe to make friends online, meaning it makes it stress-free to meet new people. 

Listen Before Speaking

Everyone loves talking about themselves. While it’s wonderful to share information about your personal experiences, ensure you’re letting the other person speak as well — even if this invites an awkward silence. Remember, a conversation should be like a tennis match where both people are getting to speak in turn. If a person never hits the proverbial conversation over to the other individual, it would be a pretty boring experience and probably won’t result in a strong friendship for either party.

 

*Models depicted

5 Conversation Topics for Strangers

Before you’re close friends with someone, you must get to know the basics through small talk. This involves interesting conversation topic starters like what they like to do for fun and what their favorite foods are. Here are some great topics to kick off your chats upon first meeting:

Icebreakers

• If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• What is your top pet peeve? 
• What’s the best thing that’s happened this week?

Hobbies

• What do you like to do for fun?
• Are you into video games? Which is your favorite?
• Do you like fashion and beauty? How’d you get into that?
• Would you consider yourself creative? In what way?
• Do you know any good magic tricks?

Shared Interests

• How do you relax?
• If you could only do one thing as a job for the rest of your life, what would it be?
• What was your dream job when you were little?
• What are you most passionate about?

Favorites

• Do you have a favorite book or movie?
• What’s your favorite color?
• What’s your favorite trip you’ve taken?
• What’s your favorite music genre?
• What’s your favorite season?
• What’s your favorite thing about where you live?

General Personal Information

• What made you want to meet friends online?
• What do you do for work?
• Tell me about your family? 
• Do you have any siblings?
• Did you go/do you want to go to college?
• How do/did you feel about high school?

6 Conversation Topics for New Friends

After you’ve broken the ice, you can then talk about more niche topics to continue getting to know them and growing your relationship. Some great conversation-starter options that can help you get more comfortable together include:

Passions and Dreams

• Are you passionate about your job?
• What excites you the most?
• What are your dreams or plans for the future?
• What would you like your life to look like in 5 years?

Favorite or Proudest Moments

• What is your favorite childhood or life memory?
• What is your proudest accomplishment?
• What is your most memorable birthday?
• Who was always there for you during big life moments?

Stories

• What’s your funniest memory from childhood or high school?
• What’s the biggest trouble you got in as a kid?
• Is there a memory of a holiday celebration that’s your favorite to retell?
• Is there a time that you felt really misunderstood?

Games

• What would you do if you won the lottery?
• Would you travel to space if it was easy/affordable?
• Would you rather only listen to music or watch TV?
• Would you rather get up early or stay up late?

Highs and Lows

• What do you feel is going well in life?
• Is there anything you’re struggling with right now?
• What always makes you feel better after a bad day?
• What’s something exciting or promising that’s come your way recently?
• What have you learned about yourself recently?

Bucket List Items

• What is your top travel destination?
• Is there an adventure or adrenaline-filled activity that you’ve always wanted to try?
• What’s a significant personal goal or milestone that you hope to achieve in your lifetime?
• If you could pursue any career or start a passion project without any limitations, what would it be?
• If you could choose anyone in the world to accompany you on one of your bucket list items, who would it be and why?

5 Conversation Topics for Long-Time Friends

You’ve done life with your friend for a while now. What can you talk about? Every meaningful conversation should enable you to find common ground, take a genuine interest in what they're saying and lead to even better conversations in the future. Here are some topics to inspire your conversation with a long-time mate:

Current Events 

• What do you think about the state of the world today?
• What would you change if you were in charge of your country/town/etc?
• What news story caught your attention this week?

Shared Experiences

• What’s your favorite memory together?
• How would you describe each other?
• What’s your favorite restaurant we’ve tried together?

The Past

• What is your biggest regret?
• How did COVID-19 change your life?
• If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?
• What’s your most embarrassing moment/s in life?

The Future

• Do you look forward to growing older?
• What scares you the most about the future?
• What excites you the most about the future?
• What do you think your life will look like in 10 years? 20?

Retrospective Questions

• Are humans inherently good or bad?
• Is humanity good for the planet?
• What do you consider your biggest strength? Weakness?
• How did COVID-19 change the world?

Should Any Conversation Be Off the Table?

At any stage of relationship — whether having just met or been friends for years — it’s crucial to set healthy boundaries and make sure nobody feels uncomfortable. This is especially true when meeting someone for the first time because you don’t know about their experiences. For example, be careful and sensitive when bringing up potentially triggering or difficult topics. This goes hand-in-hand with being respectful and polite. 

Additionally, social sites like Azar have content limitations, making inappropriate or offensive topics off-limits — even if they’re innocent or well-meaning. Always follow the guidelines of any social site to ensure everyone is welcome and feels comfortable, respected and safe.

Start a Great Conversation Today

Ready to put your new conversation starter options to work? Start a video chat on Azar to meet with new people from across the globe or right in your country. What better way to learn about new cultures and connect with strangers in a safe and secure environment?

Start chatting now!

   

*Hyperconnect LLC does not operate aforementioned services except Azar.