As I've gotten older, my views of friendship (amongst many other things) has changed. So, what makes a person a friend as oppossed to an aquaintance? Do you have to hang out with someone for them to be a friend? Does there have to be some sort of agreement that you are friends now? Is a friend at work a friend outside of work as well?

How do you define the term "friend" and how do you know when someone is your friend or just someone you talk to?

To me in order for anyone to be my friend they have to show me basic levels of respect. Very few people actually do that and they act in ways towards me that are just uncalled for, as many people treat me worse than they would treat their dog.

So for someone to be classed as my friend they have to have a shred of decency about them. Personality is another big plus, as well as a sense of humour. Humour is probably the main one though, as a lot of the things I say are not meant to be taken seriously.

I deem people as friends rather than aquantances based on the level on which we communicate as well as the ease of which we communicate. There are a few people that I will talk to, but it will be slow and laborious conversation. But if there is someone that I enjoy speaking to and the conversation flows naturally then I will deem them my friend.

I'm not in work at the moment, but when I was in work my friends there were not anything more to me than at work friends, they weren't really the sort of people I'd get on with out of the working environment, so that was all we stayed.

It's hard to describe how I know when someone is my friend rather than just a conversation partner, but it's just that feeling you get, y'know?

A friendship to me means a few simple things:
1. A bond
2. A Love
3. May change, but it will always be there, no matter how we try to bury it or destroy it.

Friends to me have an understanding of each other in some way, respect, and love. When one of those disappears it's no longer worth continuing the friendship in my opinion.

A friend as opposed to an acquaintance would be... Generally, someone I hang out with (even if it's only a semi-regular basis). I figure that if I'm willing to waste time with them that I could be using to do something else, they must be my friends. O.o Sorry if that sounded really weird. xD

My view of what qualifies as a "friend" or a "true friend" has changed as I've got older, too.

It's like that old swan analogy; like how some people are like swans, they look all serene and elegant on the surface, as though they're just effortlessly perfect; but beneath the surface of the water, their legs are peddling frantically.

A "true friend" is someone I show my swan legs to; someone who I don't mind coming over when they house is untidy, or when I look a mess; someone to whom I can admit that I'm having a crappy day, someone who I can tell all my shameful secrets to; someone to who I'm not embarrassed to show the "real me", and who I know won't think any less of me for seeing it, warts and all.

Everyone else is just a friendly acquaintance.

A friend is someone who's there for you not just when it's convenient, but when you really need someone. A friend is someone who actually wants to spend time with you and will go out of his/her way to do so. It's someone that you can be close to without fear of judgment. It makes you feel good just to be around them, and you think of them when they're not there with you. Simple disagreements don't tear you apart because you know that there's so much more to your relationship. I've got very few such people in my life and I'm perfectly happy with it.

i need friends who are here for me but alson have a stupid side to them

For me to consider someone a friend... I don't know what the process is, actually. It just happens after a while.

A true friend of mine is someone who I feel comfortable talking one-on-one to. Since I'm quite introverted, I rely on group conversations so that I don't have to do all the talking. With friends, there's no awkwardness.

There are people who I consider casual friends, then there are people who I will do anything for. They're my family.

It is hard to obtain the title "friend" to me. I take the term very highly. A true friend, to me, is someone that would give their life for me, as I would do the same for them. We must care for each other and have a special bond. We also have to be comfortable around each other. Now, if someone I'm fond of, but not to that magnitude, says their my friend, I won't object. But they can't expect me to treat them with the same degree of love and respect of a true friend.

a friend is someone i can trust. someone i can gossip with. someone that i visit and talk with
on the phone. someone that i can laugh and tell jokes with.
someone that i just talk to at parties, cuz im friends with their friend doesnt really mean
that we're friends. more of an aquaintance.

Hmm...Well, I believe that a friend should be someone that you have a lot in common with, but some differences don't hurt either. My friends generally have these same things in common with me:

1. Morality (no drugs, alcohol, etc.)
2. Love for videogames
3. Creativity
4. Humor

All things I cherish in friendships...But the first one, morality, is the trait I treasure most and--unfortunately--the one that's hardest to find.

To separate a friend from an aquaintence, well, a friend would be someone I'm willing to hang out with again and again. Someone who understands me and respects me, as I do them. An aquaintence is just someone I know, someone who's nice to me, but who I wouldn't really invite over or spend time with...>.>