[shutupalready]

> going with a friend really really really helps too

My experience has been exactly the opposite. It is much better to not have a friend with you. Whether at a computer conference, backpacking through Europe, or trying to meet the opposite sex, starting alone has always been better for me.

Typical problems that comes up if you're with a friend:

- You're more likely to sit there talking only to your friend. This is the biggest problem.

- If you're brushed off by whoever you meet, it feels awkward to return to your friend, explain what happened, and try to resume your earlier conversation.

- If the person you meet suggests going for coffee or you get involved in long conversation, what do you do about your friend. Ignore him? Tell him to wait? Ask him to join you even if he's not interested in the person you met or topic you're discussing? You can end up looking rude in so many ways.

- If you're with a friend, you yourself become less approachable by others.

I agree with the rest of what you said, but it's funny that the "friend" part is 100% different for me.

[hkmurakami]

So I think approaching groups with a friend is good for someone who is so frozen and so afraid that he/she would never be able to make an approach in the first place.

But I completely agree with the problems you listed when being attached to a friend at the hip and have suffered that collateral damage as well myself.

[tormeh]

The rule is that if you want to approach groups then you should be a group. If you want to approach individuals then you should be alone. There's some truth to that, I think.