I wouldn't consider them "friends" but it is still useful to have a conversation partner in many situations. For example – if you can't afford to pay a language

I wouldn't consider them "friends" but it is still useful to have a conversation partner in many situations. For example – if you can't afford to pay a language tutor $15-20 for a lesson. Or you want some feedback on an idea but don't know any experts personally to look it over.