God of Thunder and Rock'n'Roll (archmage) wrote,
God of Thunder and Rock'n'Roll
archmage

  • Music:

Friending

What's all this hoopla about friending and un-friending and whatnot? I see so much complaining and whining about it, and I don't see the big deal. I just read some comments in another journal, where someone actually demanded the other person unfriend them, and if they refused, they would "get their IP address and call the cops".

Excuse me?

First off, that's gotta be the dumbest thing I've heard in days. "Hello, Police? Someone has friended me on LJ, and won't unfriend me!" Their rationale seemed to centre around the ideas that they didn't like the person's journal, and didn't like the person reading their journal. Gee, ever heard of a filtered post? Friends Only, that sort of thing? If you post in public, ANYONE can read it, dear. If someone friends you, they still can't read YOUR filtered posts...so who cares? Get over it. I've got at least one or two people on my friends list that I don't particularly like, but so what? I don't read their journal, and I don't add them to my own list.

Like this whole 'reciprocal friend list' deal. People who automatically add you if you add them back, and drop you if you drop them...what's the point there? The point is popularity, and some sense of not wanting someone to friend someone who isn't your friend or something...as if we all know each other. These are the same people that might actually *gasp* go out of their way to friend you, but then harass you, demanding that you add them back..and dropping you if you don't.

On the flip side, you have the "asshole frienders". These are the ones that don't actually care about friends, they just want to annoy people like those in the last paragraphs. These are the ones that go into a community, and friend everyone in it, usually right around the same time that they annoy the community...I guess they get some kinda charge out of the attention. Again, it's no big deal, since you don't have to read them back, or add them back, or even care about their existence...but people go apeshit about it.

Frankly, the whole 'friending' thing is out of hand. Too many people attach too much significance to it. Me, personally, it's like this: friend me if you like, I don't care. You're welcome to read me. When I see a new person has friended me, I will generally check out their LJ, and friend them back just so I can read them for a while. After some time has passed, if I find I pass over that person's posts, I'll take them off my 'read' filter, and if I also find that they never comment to me, I'll probably drop them off my list completely. Nothing personal, just a matter of housecleaning. Even if I don't read you, I may keep the friends link if you comment back to me, since you are obviously reading. My friends list has nothing to do with popularity, or personal feelings, or what-have-you. If I haven't added you back, it's STILL nothing personal, just a matter of the fact that this is MY journal, and I'll set it up in such a way that is convenient to me.

And isn't that the bottom line?
Subscribe

  • (no subject)

    Jim Jeffries On Why Other Countries Think US Gun Laws Are Crazy Pretty well sums it all up, as far as I'm concerned.

  • I Gotcher Free Inhabitant Status Right Here, Swingin'

    Holy cats...I've only just become aware of this "free inhabitant / article 4" bullshit. Watching some of the videos of these wingnuts is comedy gold,…

  • (no subject)

    First Biofluorescent Reptile Ever Discovered - Short article and links to further info. Biofluorescence is far from unknown, but we've never seen…

  • Post a new comment

    Error

    Anonymous comments are disabled in this journal

    default userpic

    Your reply will be screened

    Your IP address will be recorded 

  • 18 comments

  • (no subject)

    Jim Jeffries On Why Other Countries Think US Gun Laws Are Crazy Pretty well sums it all up, as far as I'm concerned.

  • I Gotcher Free Inhabitant Status Right Here, Swingin'

    Holy cats...I've only just become aware of this "free inhabitant / article 4" bullshit. Watching some of the videos of these wingnuts is comedy gold,…

  • (no subject)

    First Biofluorescent Reptile Ever Discovered - Short article and links to further info. Biofluorescence is far from unknown, but we've never seen…