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(14 Posts)
mollie Thu 06-Jun-13 19:44:12

My dear old mum recently had to re-activate her Facebook account thanks to the demise of Sagazone. Now she wants to know why she and I aren't 'friends'. I smiled sweetly and changed the conversation ... My circle of friends is limited to just a small handful and I like to keep a space between me and some members of the family not because I'm doing or saying anything shocking but because I don't think we need to know everything about everyone! It's not uncommon to hear unhappy people complaining they only heard something via Facebook, for example. When my nieces nd nephews were friends I felt as if I was eavesdropping on 'conversations' between them and people I didn't know so we agreed to defriend and now I only hear what they tell me directly. So, are you like me or do you have dozens or hundreds of Facebook friends?

annodomini Thu 06-Jun-13 20:03:32

I think the use of 'friend' in this context degrades the meaning of the word. People who don't know each other at all become 'friends' by being friends of friends....of friends. I often get a message on FB asking me if I want to befriend so and so who might be a friend of a friend .... I don't know about you, but friendship means so much more to me.

mollie Thu 06-Jun-13 20:11:03

It does me too...

Deedaa Thu 06-Jun-13 20:21:30

I've got about 35 friends on facebook. The majority are people I know, old friends and ex work colleagues mainly, but I do have several interesting people in other countries whom I only know through facebook. My daughter isn't on facebook and my son and I decided we didn't want to be friends, although I have his fiancee as a friend. I see it as a way of keeping in touch with people I might not hear from otherwise.

Nelliemoser Fri 07-Jun-13 12:07:43

Not many. When I joined I had to unfriend lots of people as FB just raided my Hotmail contact list and sent out invitations. It really irritates me.

You cannot delete interests or school attended on FB.

Somehow I have at last managed to stop getting lists of "people I might know" from a school I left in 1966. Can't remember how I did it now.

Movedalot Fri 07-Jun-13 16:26:17

Nellie I think you can change those things on your profile.

I don't have a problem with calling them friends, I see it as just a word. I know all of mine and on the whole we all just post interesting or light hearted things. There are a couple of old moaners but if it helps them in their loneliness that is fine by me. I don't feel the need to 'like' or 'comment' on them all and just ignore anything which is not of interest.

grandimars Sat 08-Jun-13 14:35:35

I have 70 friends, about 30 of whom share a mutual interest, but I have met all of them at least once. I never accept a request from someone whose name I don't recognise. I am friends with my daughter, daughter in law and two older grandchildren; my son is not on Facebook. My main activity on Facebook is playing Scrabble - although recently they have "improved" the game, which means they have ruined what was a perfectly good format.

mollie Sat 08-Jun-13 15:27:03

I totally agree about the improved scrabble! What was wrong with the original version! You can tweak it grandimars buts its not the same...

tanith Sat 08-Jun-13 16:28:15

All my FB 'friends' are family, friends or old colleagues , a couple of people I've met through other social sites but thats it.. I don't find it intrusive and it gives me a sort of 'feel' for whats going on in people's lives. If something draws my attention I can comment or not as I choose or just ring the person to find out more or ask if all is well.

LizG Sat 08-Jun-13 16:57:59

I have different types of 'friends' on FB. Those I don't want to 'listen in to' I make 'acquaintances' and then they can have a private life as can I. My close family are in this category, well I don't want them knowing all about the silly games I play smile

LizG Sat 08-Jun-13 16:59:56

The old Scrabble couldn't be played on my ipad but now it can so I am thrilled with the change.

mollie Sat 08-Jun-13 20:23:34

I dint know that LizG... Well, that's a benefit hat might force me to overlook the changes in style! I'm off to check hat out...

mollie Sat 08-Jun-13 20:23:52

That, not hat!

mollie Sat 08-Jun-13 20:26:42

Well it din't work for me, still says my iPad doesn't accept the platform that scrabble uses...