How to make friends.

So I've always been a loner and don't really know how to approach people especially online. So what are some tips and tricks you guys use to start a conversation and talk to people?

I'm a loner, but I rarely take the initiative to approach people hah( ་ ⍸ ་ ).. Yeah, there are a few threads talking about ways to make friends online...

There's no life hacks to talking to people, but I find listening and asking interesting questions keeps a conversation flowing more than trying to think of what to say next. This is just as true for starting them than it is for keeping them going. Like if I'm listening to a group of people talking, and I want to chime in, I will make a statement, see where it leads, then ask a relevant question to the topic which reframes the way they are thinking about it. People love to express their oppinions, so give them a stadium to do so. Online? Same thing. Read someone's profile, find something interesting about them that they also find interesting, then ask about it and try to learn more. Interest in your fellow humans is ultimately what most surface level human social dynamics depend on.

Simple, you have to engage first. Find things you have in common (gaming, anime, sports, art, etc.) and take it from there.

Making friends is pretty difficult. Most people I try to interact with don't really bother to strike up a conversation. I always have to be the one to engage and that can be quite tiresome. As stated above, I read profiles so I can use what they provide as a starting point. For example, their interests. I ask what made them interested in their hobbies, etc.

Making real friends takes time and effort... You've got to take the first step and put the effort in, and do it over and over again until it sticks. If you quit just cause it's tedious or hard you'll never get anywhere. Relationships and life in general takes effort. Saying I want people to like me for who I am = I don't want to have to try to be likable. You can say it and wish it all you want, but it's not going to work. Nobody has to accept you or like you. You have to work at it. I've missed out on and lost quite a few friends in life simply because I didn't make enough of an effort to keep in touch, or share their interests. Look at all your favorite anime protagonists. How much effort do they put into the sport they're playing, or the exams they're studying for. 99% of anime stories are about people working hard to succeed in their lives. How much effort are you really putting into yours? If you want to make friends, don't try to shortcut it. Don't quit because people don't instantly like you. You're a stranger to most people. It takes time and effort for them to get to know you. To warm up to you. Make the effort. Keep trying and don't give up.

Oh,don't forget another point that you are what kind of person you make what kind of friends.物以类聚，人以群分（Birds of a feather flock together）. If they show interests in befriending me first(I still have some low self-esteem issues, so I'd rather not start conversations),I will peruse their profile texts, extract information, then ask them thought-provoking questions basing off it.But what a shame,many people don't know themselves well,so they have little to write on their info or their info is super mediocre(all of us enjoy anime,manga,music,video games, travel,animals).One of my hobbies is to read people's profile texts on various social media.

@GhostbusterEnki I see (looking at hers). You're a expert at profiles it seems... :P Very true, your profile is another tool for meeting people. If people put effort into it like you did with yours, it gives just that much more fuel for conversations to other people trying to do the same. It's pretty safe to say that most the people here are shy, have low self esteem, or are asocial in some way. (Asocial meaning: avoids social interaction) You should take that into consideration when trying to make friends here. The people who aren't talking as much as you'd like probably have more in common with you than you think.