I appreciate the responses, but it seems most people are talking about how you initially decided to include someone on your friend list. My interest is how do you figure out whether or not to keep them on there? After the initial contact, the exchange in chat, and the pics that all seem like a great connection, what happens when after you have become "friends" there is no contact at all? Do you keep those on your friend list or do you eliminate them? Most recently, I've been going through my list and anyone who hasn't been on the site in the past two months is unfriended since I figure they aren't even active on the site.

I categorically reject the idea that a friend here is anything like a friend in the flesh. I think it's a good start to the point of it becoming a friendship but there's just not enough of the complexity and physical emotional and psychological realities that build a life long friendship. It's moreover not designed to make real this concept. Older users myself included misunderstood and misunderstand the use of friend online. It's not intended to be analogous. It's intended to help hide the fact that it is not. There's a whole bunch of people who hold to the notion that few friends indicates some kind of sophistication and maturity and hundreds demonstrates the opposite but this is Pokmon land. Gotta catch em all. It's designed to advance maximal lists. And I haven't seen one account curated to local actual people that exist as friends yet. So, long list short list what's the difference? What is keeping the extras doing that is negative or why's junking them positive? Removing them doesn't improve the quality of the relationship with those people who stay does it? I have met two people from here not from my city not from before. I have talked to hundreds and thousands of people. Most people have zero interest in anything that is outside the internet. So keeping it in mind is a good whackload of virtual relationships that you never want realized or never will even in your keep list what's the point of that? I don't discount that online only can have a decent character and outcome of experience but one, two, ten emails what's the cutoff?

You decide for you but I think it's overthinking

• Flag
• Edit
• Delete
• Quote
• Reply