Sometimes it is fun with people from RL, but speaking from experience, my RL friends stopped playing and I didnt and I am now having a blast with WoW. More than I ever have at least, once you get to a higher level and start beefing up, its not hard to find an awesome guild.
Yeah, of course. I forgot to mention that, but when he's just starting the game up, getting up to that higher level can seem like a very lonely and tedious experience, at least in my opinion (went two weeks before getting bored). I guess previously gained online friends would work just as well; anybody that makes the game feel like a more 'social', as ironic as the word is, experience.