Hi, Tao....
Yes, you could actually meet someone worthwhile, either for friendship, or potentially romantic.
You said, "but i'm not sure i'm ready to try it right now... i'm afraid i'm too unstable, and i've always wondered if i should have friendships before a potentially romantic relationship - and i haven't had friendships. and i'm really nervous about... everything to do with relationships... and i'm really hopeless..."
I always felt that way myself, when i was venturing into the online dating scene. In truth, I probably wasn't stable enough to have done it. My experiences were bad, including the men I dated for substantial time from meeting in this venue.
In my opinion, for what little it's worth, you need a healthy head of self-esteem to embark on the internet dating scene. You need the ability to discern, very much so, into what is real and what is illusion. You need the ability to say "NO," to some you meet, and trust your gut instincts.
Another thing I experienced in every contact, was pressure from them for face to face meetings (dates) before I felt ready. I wanted more time corresponding...even before receiving phone calls from them. My experience was most men didn't want to do that.
The face-to-face meeting really amounts to scrutinizing each other. If you feel enough self-confidence to subject yourself to this, to possibly rejecting the person you meet (i.e., hurting feelings), or to being rejected (not hearing from them again), then maybe you are ready. Then there is the person you meet, whom you see again, though you're not sure. This was where i made my mistakes, because my gut told me I was unsure, but they seemed to really like me....Ahhh...they liked me,and they chose ME!
In the end, I should have been more discerning. That is the key.
Please let us know what you decide.
Patty