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<title> IRC vs. IRL? </title>
In this essay I will prove that IRC, (Internet Relay Chat) really could improve your social life, that would be social life as in RL, (Real Life). Many people believe that IRC just take up your time without giving anything back. I claim that they are wrong. Soon you will se why.

One argument I quite often get to hear, is that I spend too much time in front of my computers. Especially as I earlier used to meet my friends very often in my spare-time. However, I claim that I still spend very much time with my friends, even more than before. This because I still meet my old friends irl plus that I speak to new and old friends via the irc. So, what are the advantages with irc compared to irl then?
	 On irc, you can get new contacts/friends that you would not meet if you did not take part of irc, friends with the same interests as you, for example computers. You get to know them well before you actually meet them irl, which means that you always have something to talk about from the very beginning.
	 By these friends, you can get help with computer related questions, homework etc. They can help you in your daily work, without even having to move away from home.
	 Another thing that I see as a big plus, should be that you can talk to people about serious things without saying something wrong, this because you have got more time to think about your answers on irc than irl. 
	 Besides that, you can do several things at the same time when chatting on the net by the same reason as above, you have got more time to think about your answers, it's OK to answer a question after a couple of minutes instead of as irl directly. 
	 Another great thing about irc, is that you always have someone to talk to, there is always someone awake, ready to listen to your thoughts and so on. 
	 One major thing that probably passes people that are not interested in this kind of "relations" by, is the fact that you develop a new kind of humour. A humour that often can be used only on irc, but sometimes also irl. 
	 All these facts I've brought up, says that irc develop your rl. Still, that is not the only truth. I know a few people that without irc would not have any social live at all. They believe that irc in fact is rl, those who don't know them that good, believe that irc has had got a bad influence on them, and that they would be more socialised if they did not spend that much time in front of their computers, I say they don't. By this way they at least get contact with people in one way, otherwise they had probably been watching TV instead.
	 So, are there no negative aspects with irc the? Of course there are. It is easy to get stuck in front of the computer and instead of going to your friends you stay and talk to them on the computer as you don't have to move yourself that way. If the case is so, you will have a decrease in your social life I would say. Still this haven't happen to anyone I know, usually one doesn't stop meeting your rl-friends because you start chatting the net. 

In the conclusion I will tell you about a problem that can occur when your chatting on the net. However I don't know if the problem could be said to emerge because of irc. When friends irl visits you and your' chatting to other friends on the net, the irl-friends often wants you to stop talking to your so called "invisible friends", they mean that "there are no one in front of you, which means that you aren't talking to anyone". This is rather annoying as I believe that your talking to irc-friends are as much important as talking to people irl. This is why I put the question mark after the topic, it shouldn't be irl vs. irc - they can go together if people understand that both can improve your social life.
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