friend requests

[billyporter]

this is going to sound really stupid but what exactly are friend requests?
i've not come across these before and i've got some.
the confusing thing is that no one even says anything with the request, wouldn't you want to say something if you want to be a friend? obviously its not what it seems.
just doesn't make sense to me! [yeah i know, i'm old!]

 

[Soot and Stars]

Friend request are what you make of them. One way or another they are an friendly acknowledgement by someone else on the forum. From my perspective they are a welcome or goodwill to someone who's started to use the forum. I figure the request is enough of a message and if someone responds and it starts a conversation then great. I've had all levels of friendships here and it all varies. At the same time it has a purpose but not one I put way to much thought into. Just a gesture to start with especially as a mod I lie to make members feel welcome and open the lines of communication to what the user wants from banter to help on the forum!

 

[Magic]

It means.......


Someone likes your posts and wants to let you know they are willing to be your online friend.



if you need help figuring out how to "accept" the friend request, just let us know. We can show you how to do that.

 

[LG]

^^I remember when we first met years ago Magic...you thought I was a smartass at first...

Then we started chatting and became friends shortly thereafter but the first exchange was hilarious.

Sooty likes to do his "Forum Ambassador" routine with new arrivals, which is a nice gesture and sometimes makes people feel welcome.

Me....I usually wait a while before sending one, that's just my approach. I prefer getting to know someone I like and who I enjoy posting with to be here a while before sending a friend request.

Some people like to send them right away, because they are outgoing or need the reassurance they have friends here, I usually accept those and just hope they do intend on hanging around and enjoy themselves.

 

[Magic]

You were a "meanie" when we first met, or so I thought. You use such big words all the time, that I thought you were talking down to me. I had no clue you were a walking dictionary until I got to know you.


Saying our first couple exchanges were "hilarious" is an understatement.

 

[LG]

^^That was too funny...I think we were all talking about "promotions" and you wanted to jump the queue using your...attributes and I said you had to "earn your stripes."... Boy that takes me back, I don't think anyone is left at Rocket we used to know, last time I visited only Diggy was there.

 

[Magic]

NOOooooo......

I was all pissed off because all the "stripes" were in guys names. I asked for things to be gender neutral, OR let me take over and I would make it politically correct

 

[LG]

That's true to a point, but you can't deny you charmed the mods whenever you could back then too Lady Magic......

I think about all the suggestions we made there that they implemented over the year or so we took over the place...and ended up needing a Bigger Pond to splash about in.

I looked and can't find Rocket at all, just a download page for the app but no forum. Most likely it's disappeared off the net completely.

 

[Big Ears]

I was a bit confused by the Friend Requests when I first started posting, so I sent them to the people that welcomed me to the forum. All but one accepted. One later changed their mind! Soot sent his early request and I found it a welcoming gesture, which I wish I had the confidence to emulate.

A few members have sent me requests since and one of those (again) changed their mind after I accepted. A few have retired, so I 'spring-cleaned' the list. I have not sent a request since those early days and my conclusion is that it is probably best treated with caution?

The politics of Friends Requests continues to confuse me and I would be interested to hear others' experiences. I was tempted to start a fresh thread on the subject in OT . . . but am I being heretical?

 

[Soot and Stars]

I was a bit confused by the Friend Requests when I first started posting, so I sent them to the people that welcomed me to the forum. All but one accepted. One later changed their mind! Soot sent his early request and I found it a welcoming gesture, which I wish I had the confidence to emulate.

A few members have sent me requests since and one of those (again) changed their mind after I accepted. A few have retired, so I 'spring-cleaned' the list. I have not sent a request since those early days and my conclusion is that it is probably best treated with caution?

The politics of Friends Requests continues to confuse me and I would be interested to hear others' experiences. I was tempted to start a fresh thread on the subject in OT . . . but am I being heretical?

I think you can probably get feedback this way Big Ears. This is something I'm not sure how to discuss further because everyone is different which if you get feedback everyone's answer would be different. I guess I also stated my reasons but if you looked at it in hindsight I'd be looking at a lot of names and could go "Well, that didn't make me any closer to that user!" I'm really not sure why anyone would change their mind after requesting someone but stranger things have happened in forum world. The politics of friend request is about as strange as the politics in any social interaction. People always seem to enter that greeting stage but go in different directions that either stick or don't with others. One little detail though is having those names in your profile gives you a shortcut in finding the user hence their threads, etc. in some cases.