Yes, I do think of some of the people here as friends.
I’ve met some in real life, but even the ones I haven’t met are what I would consider friends. When I mentioned my divorce in a recent thread, a couple of Dopers either emailed me or PMed me to express support and let me know I could talk/cry/vent to them if need be. A couple of Dopers from the MMP threads have PMed me occasionally to let me know they miss seeing me around.
A lot of you I like seeing on line. I like the posts, I like the stories, I like the intelligence. All in all, I like the community.
But would I know you if I tripped over you in the street? Probably not, unless you came to OrlanDope.
I did until my name didn’t come up in this thread.
Byzantines.
I just come here for some conversational intercourse.
You convo-slut.
You betcha, baby. Just lookee at my post count.
Mmmm…you must give good oral…
…
…arguments…
What?
What does that make me?
Easy?
…to talk to. 
I feel so…cheap.
Less discerning?
Even though the word friend appeals to me I think this is more accurate. I have customers at the store I would say the same thing about. We interact in a limited and specific way.
I’d proudly wear my doper decoder ring and use the secret handshake though.
I thought about this a little bit today (I’m not working yet, okay?), and have decided to change my original answer - no, I do not consider Dopers friends. Not even webfriends. Nothing personal, it’s just that I really don’t have any relationships with anybody here that goes beyond recognizing a few posters and knowing a few things about them.
I still consider the people I’ve actually met as friends, though. Casual friends, not lifelong buddies or anything.
ETA: I still think we should have Straight Dope t-shirts. Especially for people as special as Charter Members.
Hey, on the extremely pathetically remotely slim chance that you bump into anyone who used to hang out on the “Boston Common” AOL chat room ten years ago, tell them Phanturnip says hi!
Ooh baby I like the way you talk.
I was thinking the other day that it would be cool if you and hubby could make it!
And that is it in a nutshell.
About a year or so ago,** featherlou** mentioned she and hubby were coming to Las Vegas (from afar) so some of us locals got together while they were here - and you know what? It really was like meeting “old friends” of sorts. Granted, we didn’t know each other from Adam, but it was easy to converse and we felt comfortable meeting “strangers” we had never physically met before. In no time, we were swapping stories, trading insults and joking around like we had known each other for years.
One of the reasons I like going to the Dopefests (like the one happening in Las Vegas in August) is meeting people from a wide variety of backgrounds, from all over the world, that I would normally never have the opportunity to meet. How better to fight ignorance than to meet a variety of people, from totally different backgrounds, who are also curious by nature?
My dear SO (who is 100% computer illiterate) always wondered about “those people you talk about from that web thingie”…is now actually looking forward to the upcoming Las Vegas event. I think his best comment after a meet-up was, “…everyone was so different, but really nice and interesting to talk to.”
For those of you who have never gone to a Dopefest, give one a try sometime - trust me when I say they are anything but boring, and yes, you can make some good friends.
Speaking of which, featherlou, it is not too late to change your mind - all you need is about $500 in gas money to get here…
Y’all are closer to being my friends than any other people I know. How’s that?
I’d love to have a dung beetle as a friend.
I’ve heard that about you Aussies. 
The bad news is that it is true.