Getting Friends is simple on the insanely popular networking site MySpace.com. You find someone you want to be connected to and you click on their “Add Me” link, then you wait to see if your request has been deemed worthy. Suddenly their little avatar picture is in your Friends list, your picture is on theirs, you’re receiving each others’ bulletins, you’re connected! And another tiny community is formed.
Friending folks on MySpace -- and yes, “friend” has become a verb, like "game," "blog," "google," and "shindig" -- is how you keep in touch with them. You can see their current doings, hear the music they like, view their embarrassing pictures, admire (or cringe at) their choice of background designs, and compare your interests to see how cool yours are. Or, more likely, aren’t. And your Friend list displays the people that are now networked with you.
Some people limit the number of people they Friend to close acquaintances. Some, like me, go after the numbers. Not in an “I have more Friends than you, neener neener” way. More like “I am connected to the world, especially the parts of the world that obsess on font sizes.”
posted
Great column as always, Chris. There's something missing at the end of the sixth paragraph from the bottom, though.
Posts: 896 | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Hysterical as always, Chris. I particularly enjoyed
quote:But they’re in my list and that gives me an indescribable psychological boost of a sort that I’m certain will soon have its own DSM-VII entry.
I lol'd -- literally.
I have managed to avoid the whole networking site thing, except for LJ (which I rarely check) and GoodReads, which I adore . . . and on which I add friends at a ridiculous rate. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Oops, forgot something I wanted to put in there. Edited to add:
"I don’t add everybody. If the maybe-Friend’s page contains key phrases such as “exciting retail opportunity” or “check out the pictures MySpace won’t let me post,” they get denied. I’ll also bounce… no, that’s actually pretty much it. With one exception: I booted Tom right away. he just seemed too easy."
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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Well, it's not as flighty as Twitter, but has Twitterish elements. It's highly customizable, but can't be made as ugly or commercial as MySpace. It's good for local networking, but it's not as slimy as LinkedIn. I find it the most useful of all the social networking sites for actually staying in touch with people, perhaps due to the Mini-Feed.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
I think the Mini-Feed has a lot to do with it. It's nice to have a single spot where you can see what people have changed recently. I have to admit, though, that I felt massively violated when the thing debuted.
Posts: 1069 | Registered: Feb 2005
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