11 Ways To Make Friends And Find A New Mom Tribe

Looking for ways to make friends when you can’t leave the house? Don’t miss these 11 ideas for using Facebook to develop mom-friends out of acquaintances. Plus get a free list of places to meet people!

This post is part of the “Make New Friends” blog series! Be sure to check out the other posts after you read this one.

Do you ever feel like it’s impossible to make new friends? Like, even though you’ve tried and tried, you can’t seem to find a rhythm with anyone, build your “mom tribe” or even find someone to befriend?

I get it.

Building relationships and starting over with new people can be daunting, awkward, and as uncomfortable as trying to turn around from the driver’s seat to hand snacks to your child in the back.

But here’s something cool.

You don’t always have to start with people you don’t know.

In fact, you probably have a long list of people you already know that could turn from acquaintances into good friends, if only you knew how to find them and connect with them.

You probably have a long list of people you already know that could turn from acquaintances into good friends, if only you knew how to find them and connect with them. #makingfriends Share on X

That’s what this post is about.

11 Ways To Make Friends And Develop Acquaintances On Facebook

Right now it’s hard to get out to meet people. During the season of being stuck at home, either for health reasons or because you’re a mom of littles, making friends online can be your best bet.

That’s why today I’ll mostly be focusing on how to use Facebook to help you build deeper friendships out of acquaintances.

But before we get into acquaintances, here’s a bonus tip that can help you make friends fast, or actually just “re-find” them.

1- Start With Old Friends You’ve Lost Touch With

You may not actually need new friends, you just need to reconnect with old friends. Very possibly, you have quite a few old friends who once meant a lot to you, but perhaps you’ve drifted apart or lost touch for a variety of reasons.

When you already know someone, it’s much easier to reconnect and grow your relationship since you already have common ground.

When you already know someone, it's much easier to reconnect and grow your relationship since you already have common ground. #makenewfriends Share on X

So first we’re going to look into how to reconnect with old friends.

Then I promise we will also learn a ton about finding acquaintances. You can use the table of contents above to skip further down the post now if you’d like.

2- How To Find Old Friends On Facebook

Start by getting a piece of paper or a note on your phone ready so you can write down names of people you might be interested in contacting. Think through these 3 ideas:

A- Look through your facebook friends list. Who do you really care about and miss, but you’ve lost touch with them? 

B- If you’ve moved recently, who could you develop an online/virtual connection with that you used to hang out with?

C- Get in touch with someone who moved away. As someone who moves a lot myself, it’s so nice when I hear from someone from my previous locations. It’s special to know that someone thought of me, and your pals will probably feel the same.

3- How To Get Reacquainted With Old Friends On Facebook

A- Develop Your List

Take the list you wrote from the section above and think about the following:

• Write down 3-5 things you have in common with them.
• Think through memories and experiences you’ve had with them and make notes so you can bring that up when you get in touch.
• List 3-5 reasons you value that person and be ready to communicate that with them.

B- When you reach out to get in touch with an old friend, it’s good to let them know you’ve been thinking about them and miss talking with them. Getting caught up is a great way to rekindle a friendship and strengthen your bond.

If a friend reached out to me and said,

“Hey Heather, I’ve been thinking about you– remember when we went to that weird park with the kids and the birds started dive-bombing us? I had a laugh about that and was thinking of how much I miss you!” 

I would be touched and feel special that someone thought of me and took the time to reach out. 

So when you reconnect with a good friend— remind them of something special you guys did, or a common bond you have. Tell them what you appreciate about them, because odds are they could use a boost. 

When you reconnect with a good friend, remind them of something special you guys did, or a common bond you have. Tell them what you appreciate about them, because odds are they could use a boost. #makingfriends Share on X

Where And How To Find Old Friends And Acquaintances

4- The Ultimate List Of Places To Meet People

In this post I’m focusing primarily on Facebook. However, I’ll add that in most social media apps, you can use your phone contacts to see if there’s someone you know who uses that app.

Using apps are great ways to make friends. You can check out Facebook, Facebook messenger,  MarcoPolo, Instagram or LinkedIn.

If you’re wondering where to meet people and you want a huge list, don’t miss my free download “The Ultimate List Of Places To Meet People: 79 Spots To Make New Friends.” You can grab it here:

SEND ME THE LIST

5- Making An Acquaintance Into A Friend

Next, look into your acquaintances. You probably already noticed people you might want to get to know as you went looking for your old friends.

But, what is an acquaintance?

Acquaintances are people you’ve met but haven’t spent time getting to know. Maybe a friend or coworker introduced you, or she’s the wife of your husband’s friend.

Or maybe you’ve just heard her name a lot but never met. She’s the one who keeps popping up in your Facebook friend suggestion box as “you may know…”

6- How To Use Facebook To Find Acquaintances

A- Searching Your Friend Section: With Facebook under your Friends section, you can find “people you may know,” respond to friend requests, and search through all your friends. 

First head to your “Friends” section under Menu (Menu is at the bottom right of your screen with the 3 lines/hamburger symbol)

Next check out the sections under friends. Facebook has amazing insight into who you may know. They might lead you right to your next BFF!

B- Respond to friend requests

Take a second to respond to any friend requests. Consider sending a message to say hi to your new friend via Facebook Messenger.

C- Look through your friends’ profiles to find potential friends

Look in the “friends” list on your friend’s profile and see if you know any of her friends. If you know them or have a connection to them, you can add them as a friend or send them a message.

Keep in mind that if you’re not already friends, your message may not show up in their main messenger inbox so they might not see it for a while.

7- How To Discover People Physically Near You

If you’re thinking, “But I want to make friends near me,” here’s what you can do:

From your home feed, click the search button.

Next, type in your location.

Then click “People” to narrow down your search.

You’ll see a list of people near you including current connections and those who you could potentially add as a friend. You can even filter down the results at the top of the screen.

What To Do Now That You’ve Found Potential Friends

8- View Facebook Profiles And Take Note

It’s one thing to wonder how to find good friends, but other to develop those relationships once you find potential pals.

After you discover an acquaintance to check out, take a peek through their “About” section of their Facebook profile and take notes.

Ask the following:

• What do you have in common?
• Do you have any mutual friends you didn’t know you had?
• Maybe you have common sports teams, colleges, or geographical locations?

9- Add Acquaintances As New Friends

Be sure to add your new-found acquaintances as Facebook friends if you haven’t already. Just that simple act is a step toward building a stronger relationship with that person.

Your friend request will pop up on their app and they’ll get to take a peek at you as well.

10- Start A Conversation

Once you add someone as a friend, it’s time to start a conversation.

To help you think of what to say, go through this process below as you did with your old pals.

• Write down 3-5 things you have in common with them.
• Instead of memories or experiences, think through how you met or heard of them and make notes so you can bring that up when you get in touch.
• List 3-5 reasons you would like to get to know that person
• Think of one or two potential ideas for how you might like to meet up, such as a playdate with kids or a coffee date.

For an in-depth list of conversation starters to make friends check out my post all about it here:

RELATED: 39 CONVERSATION STARTERS TO MAKE FRIENDS

Going Beyond The Facebook Profile

11- Using Facebook Groups to Transform Strangers Into Friends

As you can see, we can find many ways to meet people through Facebook profiles and friends lists. Another great Facebook tool is their groups feature.

Facebook Groups

Facebook allows you to join or create groups with similar interests and form a mini community. Those communities are based on pretty much any interest or demographic such as stage of life, beliefs, industry, the list is endless.

I’ve joined many groups for a variety of reasons. I personally am most interested in groups for moms/parenting, military spouses, christian- based groups, or blogging groups.

Think about your interests and search for that term in the Facebook search bar. Across the top you can filter your search down to “groups.”

Once there, look at a few groups and view their “about” section. That will give you an idea if you would enjoy being in that group.

All that’s left is to join the group and wait to be approved. Some groups require you to respond to a few questions so they know whether you would be a good fit for the group.

You may not know anyone in the group yet, but as you start to interact with people on a regular basis, you can develop connections. Strangers can turn into acquaintances and eventually friends, even if you’ve never met in person.

After you have some meaningful exchanges, you might add someone as a friend or start a private conversation (if allowed by the group).

Overall, Facebook groups are a great way to connect with like-minded people who could become friends.

Final Words

When you start to feel like it’s impossible to make new friends, grab your phone and pull up the Facebook app. For now, skip scrolling the newsfeed or stories and head right to your friends section.

You may even find your new BFF… so start searching!

The “Make New Friends” Blog Series

This post is the first post in a set of articles called the Make New Friends Series.

My goal in these posts is to help you gain confidence and take steps to actually make new, better, deeper friendships. You can check out the other posts in the series below!

Be sure to grab your free copy of “The Ultimate List Of Places To Meet People: 79 Spots To Make New Friends” (it includes online places too!) Get it here:

SEND ME THE LIST