It isn't changing. I'm explaining what a referral is and how it isn't as personal as a letter of recommendation. If you're an employee on a job site, you wouldn't refer someone you met on that said job site if you felt they were incompetent, but you don't have to be their friend, either. It's a softer judge of character than a reference or recommendation.

You could know enough about a person you met online to refer them, but it would be unwise to write a letter or recommendation for them or let them use you as a reference. These are three separate things. My story isn't changing.