Facebook friends... really friends?

the_dark_side · 31-08-2009 12:00am #1

In many ways Facebook is great, but there are people on it now, that I seem to talk to way more regularly than when I knew them way back in college 15 - 20 years ago... arguably, I know them better now then I ever knew them.... also, there are people I am friends with that I interact with frequently on Facebook, but when I meet them in reality, its never for more than a minute, and that maybe once every 6 months.

brummytom · 31-08-2009 12:04am

I've only got about 170 I think.

Out of them, I see maybe 100 on a regular basis? But only about 10 of those would I class as real 'friends'!.

Obviously I've got loads of family (close and distant on there).
But everyone, except one or two, are people I know.
I find Facebook much more personal than Myspace or Bebo - I always accepted randomners on there, but it's great for keeping in touch.

Anyway, yeah.. lots of Facebook friends are just casual aquantancies and nothing more but ah well.
In regard to what you were saying, I found myself becoming much closer to people in real life after getting to know more about them through facebook/chatting on msn

jigglywoo · 31-08-2009 12:10am

People only add other people they rarely see so that they can nose about on their profile because most pages are private.

I wouldn't stop in the street to say hello to half the people I'm "friends" with.

G_R · 31-08-2009 12:12am

well on facebook i only have about 30 friends:( and out of those i am friends with all bar one who i have never met and have no idea who she is

on bebo tho i hav c.150 friends, but im actually friends with maybe 30 of them, the rest are...wats the word...acquaintances, ye thats a good word

samhail · 31-08-2009 12:13am

i accidently added everyone i ever emailed from my gmail account onto there.
was new to the interface. ive got about 200 now

dont talk to most of them.

Carsinian Thau · 31-08-2009 12:25am

samhail wrote: »

i accidently added everyone i ever emailed from my gmail account onto there.
was new to the interface. ive got about 200 now
dont talk to most of them.

Friend of mine did the same thing.

Except he also sent it to all of his lecturers as well. None of them accepted but one or two did email back to thank him for the invite!

Riamfada · 31-08-2009 12:29am

Obligtory "I so hardcore internet l33t that i look down of facebookers" post.

I have alot of friends of facebook that I knew at one time. Meet up with most of them now alot.

martyboy48 · 31-08-2009 12:29am

I recently started on facebook, mostly just for a snoop around... I can't understand the amount of people wanting "to be friends" with me when clearly I (and they) have made no attempt to be friends in 'the real world'!!!! I'm pretty bored with it already... I prefer to use something called a telephone, and ring some real friends and meet up....

Sparky · 31-08-2009 12:31am

Yup most of the people on my FB are people I interact with on a daily/weekly basis and family/work

There are a few that are friends via friends that we see each other the odd time.

Kalashnikov_Kid · 31-08-2009 12:35am

jigglywoo wrote: »

People only add other people they rarely see so that they can nose about on their profile because most pages are private.

I wouldn't stop in the street to say hello to half the people I'm "friends" with.

Thats such an Irish thing isnt it! And I have to say Ive experienced the same.

MmmmmCheese · 31-08-2009 12:52am

I never got the whole bebo/facebook phenomenon. If i wanted to talk to one of my friends I'd pick up my phone and text/call them. I mean i have the phone numbers of the most important people in my life.

And yes i have bebo myself. I get bored sometimes ok!

allthedoyles · 31-08-2009 12:54am

Is it true that on Facebook , there are 'friends and '' mutual friends ''

Can some one tell me the difference ?

Tar.Aldarion · 31-08-2009 12:55am

allthedoyles wrote: »

Is it true that on Facebook , there are 'friends and '' mutual friends ''

Can some one tell me the difference ?

There is ust mutual friends that I know of, where you both have added each other as friends. Otherwise it's jsut one person adding the other and you don't count as friends.

ScumLord · 31-08-2009 12:56am

I find facebook confusing. I only use it to see the pictures of me that other people took while I'm on holiday.

*giggles* · 31-08-2009 1:33am

I have some friend requests from people I'm supposed to know, most likely they're doing it to be able to say "I have 213 friends on Facebook". Facebook is booooorrrrring *yawns* Bebo used to be good, but now that's gone to s**t as well

procure11 · 31-08-2009 1:43am

Most of the so called friends on facebook are just nominal tbh...I have better and more honest relationships on LinkedIn.

RandolphEsq · 31-08-2009 4:29am

brummytom wrote: »

I've only got about 170 I think.

Out of them, I see maybe 100 on a regular basis? But only about 10 of those would I class as real 'friends'!.

Obviously I've got loads of family (close and distant on there).
But everyone, except one or two, are people I know.
I find Facebook much more personal than Myspace or Bebo - I always accepted randomners on there, but it's great for keeping in touch.

Anyway, yeah.. lots of Facebook friends are just casual aquantancies and nothing more but ah well.
In regard to what you were saying, I found myself becoming much closer to people in real life after getting to know more about them through facebook/chatting on msn

Gay

Despite what anyone says, Facebook friends are not real friends. Get more of a life if you think otherwise.

"Oh we have been talking for a while now online. It feels like I have already met her and lived with her the past few years. I think I love her"

Cad Sunt

Tar.Aldarion · 31-08-2009 5:01am

I have a good friend I've never met, bit odd. Known her for 5 years and have chatted on phone for years, text, msn, boards etc. odd enough all right ^^

Kalashnikov_Kid · 31-08-2009 5:13am

*laughs at the irony of someone telling a stranger on an internet forum at 4:30am to get a life for using Facebook*

mmafan81 · 31-08-2009 5:23am

i started a FB account recently after ages of not wanting aquaintences wanting to be my friend and two days in i encountered this very problem,t'was easy really,i just said no to people i wouldnt be bothered to talk to regularly.must say i really like it though,chattin to friends overseas that hadnt talked to in a while and friends closer to home that mightnt see every week/month due to work and such.if you dont want people snooping at your page just dont be their friend,easy as that.

In All Fairness · 31-08-2009 6:54am

I'm a total technophobe. Don't have MySpace, Facebook or Bebo. I still can't work the multi-quote here, or link stuff into a post, and the only reason I have a friend on Boards was because he was decent enough to do the necessary link.:)

cheers mate.

WeeBushy · 31-08-2009 9:20am

I think it a great way of keeping in touch.

I have quite a lot of friends around the world and facebook is a really good way of keeping in touch and also seeing what they're up to lately through photos, other people comments etc.

I don't really understand people adding loads of randomers as friends, I presume its something similar to pimping your post count here; trying to have the largest e-penis.

pikachucheeks · 31-08-2009 9:55am

I think Facebook is a good way to keep in touch with people. It's easy, requires minimal effort - just log on, have a list of your friends and you choose who you want to poke, message, play some dumb farm game with!

It's funny, how people will add basically anyone... "Oh, I know his sister's friend's cousin's mother's dog, so he should be my friend!"
It's becoming a bit of a popularity contest.

Mossy Monk · 31-08-2009 9:58am

I have 8 people on there that I have no idea about so I can have a bigger army in Castle Age

. They are blocked from seeing anything on my account though.

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Gay

Despite what anyone says, Facebook friends are not real friends. Get more of a life if you think otherwise.

"Oh we have been talking for a while now online. It feels like I have already met her and lived with her the past few years. I think I love her"

Cad Sunt

You're cool.

dr.bollocko · 31-08-2009 10:05am

RandolphEsq wrote: »

Gay

Despite what anyone says, Facebook friends are not real friends. Get more of a life if you think otherwise.

"Oh we have been talking for a while now online. It feels like I have already met her and lived with her the past few years. I think I love her"

Cad Sunt

Banned.

bluto63 · 31-08-2009 10:12am

It's good for if you just met a person and aren't on a very friendly level with them, like, you won't call them up to invite them on a night out, but if you were chattin to them on Facebook you would. It helps in that respect a lot

AnonoBoy · 31-08-2009 10:17am

I only use Facebook to spy on my ex-wife and her new fiance.

I thought that was what everyone used it for.

bluto63 · 31-08-2009 10:22am

AnonoBoy wrote: »

I only use Facebook to spy on my ex-wife and her new fiance.

I thought that was what everyone used it for.

Yea, sometimes I do use it to spy on your ex-wife and her new fiance

AnonoBoy · 31-08-2009 10:32am

bluto63 wrote: »

Yea, sometimes I do use it to spy on your ex-wife and her new fiance

Awesome. She's blocked me so you can be my new 'in'.

What's that harpie up to now?

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 31-08-2009 10:32am

I recently set up a FB account but there's nobody on it that I know, so I stick with the Bebo. I've 300-and something friends, about 70 are people I'd stop and have a conversation with if we met randomlyin town. About 150 would be people I'd gesture towards if I saw them in town and the rest are barely known or pure randomers/arrows.

bluto63 · 31-08-2009 10:33am

AnonoBoy wrote: »

Awesome. She's blocked me so you can be my new 'in'.

What's that harpie up to now?

Ah same old same old. You know her!

Facebook friends... really friends?

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