While it is quite possible to have an enjoyable experience without ever meeting other collectors, such behavior is not the norm. Most collectors have a more enjoyable experience sharing their interests with fellow stamp collectors. However, finding a number of suitable collectors to meet up with can be a difficult proposition. There may not be a stamp club in your local as one example.

Of course, if you are on the shy side, meeting new people could be a serious challenge for you. Thanks to the Internet, you can meet many new stamp collectors and communicate with them and not even have to come into contact with them. Of course if you are a bit more ambitious, you can find plenty of information on how to start a stamp club in your own area.

Stamp collecting has adapted to the Internet quite strongly. You can now swap, trade, buy and sell, and exchange information online very easily. You can even belong to a virtual online stamp club. There are many ways for stamp collectors to join in on a large online club meeting. You are only restricted by time zones and your sleep patterns.

The Internet has speeded up communication so much that it has led to many improvements in record-keeping. If you are in the habit of regularly sharing information online, you will find that cutting and pasting information is much faster than filling it in each time. Now you can consider your computer as one of your new friends.

Use some discretion when seeking out fellow stamp collectors. There are many people who equate a stamp collection with high value, something we all know is not necessarily true. Make it very clear that you are a beginning collector and your collection is not very valuable. This will help to discourage many would-be thieves. This discretion will help to keep criminals from knocking on your door. Once you build up your collection, do not brag about the latest rare addition, it might attract the wrong attention to your home.

There are many places online to contact prospective stamp collecting friends. Such places are stamp collecting forums, newsgroups, and chat-rooms. You can use your favorite search engine to locate these websites. As to what the best approach would be to search these sites, will depend upon your own nature. If you are on the shyer side, you can lurk in the background and check out the various threads, If you are more outgoing, you can jump right in and introduce yourself and go from there. The choice is up to you.