How many "friends" do you have on Facebook?

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SolaScriptura

Puritanboard Brimstone
I don't have a Facebook account. I'm a paranoid loser.

Anyway, I have some real life friends and they were talking about their Facebook account and one of them talked about having 286 "friends." I wondered at how that is possible since I know for a fact that he doesn't even know a quarter that many people.

So I have two questions: How many "friends" do you have on Facebook?

Second, please give me an insight into Facebook culture:
How does someone get so many people to want to be their "friend" on Facebook when they don't know them at all? On what basis does someone become a "friend" when they don't know them in real life at all?

How is that possible????:detective:
 
I have 76, and I'm pretty picky about accepting friends. It has to be someone I know, and someone I'm ok with having access to pictures of my kids, etc. I never accept friends I don't have an active interest in keeping up with. Its been great since we've moved a lot to keep up with friends we would have otherwise lost touch with, and its good for keeping up with college and high school age relatives/friends (they are the bulk of my status updates).

I know people who have 500+ friends. To me that's just too many people to be up in my bid'ness, if you know what I mean.
 
Most people add everyone they have ever heard of, and then their friends' friends they have never met. I have only 160-something, and that is actually very low compared to many of my friends. 286 is getting there, but it is still low.

I know a Reformed man (father of 9!) on Facebook who has a lot of friends (1000+, I think) because he adds friends of friends when he sees them discussing theology on a mutual friend's FB (Confusing, I know). It's really sweet because whenever he posts something theological, a whole mass of people comment on it, and some really good theological discussions get started on his FB. AThornquist is friends with him too.
 
I have a 396. I don't think I'm that popular. A lot of people from my church are on facebook, even the grannies! But I think the fact that I knew quite a few folks from high school and was heavily involved in campus ministries helped increase my circle of "friends." Believe it or not, I do know each person on my facebook in real life (at least at one point in my life). I think I have at most, 10 friends that I've never interacted with in "real life" (i.e. friends from the two message boards I frequent). Usually, if I'm not that interested in hearing the day to day of their life, I just ignore their updates on facebook. I feel mean defriending them. Plus, I enjoy having that large amount of friends, who are often non-Christian, as I try to share prayer requests/praises which I hope are little seed plants in their lives.

I think some of the folks that "friend" a multitude of strangers they've never met and never interacted with on any social circumstance are just insecure and persistent.
 
I have about 90 friends on facebook. As Catherine stated, their must be a common ground of interest for me to send someone a request or accept one. It is a good place to share the gospel with others and discuss theological issues. At the same time, it can be a idol that takes up most of your time. Be careful.
 
I'm not on Facebook either, but from what I've gathered, "friend" in Facebookeese doesn't mean any more than "person I know or at least have a connection to".
 
hahaha...i have 626 friends.
i do not discriminate, obviously. a lot of my friends are from here, but most are from college and high school.

a few, (i just counted--six) like Mark Dever or Lew Rockwell, are people i don't really know. other than that, i know everyone on my page in real life, but for the PB folk; there are 47 of you, but one I do know in real life from college.

and i did just recently go through and delete people that i never talked to.

also, i sort of fall under the paranoid category and my name is not my real name on fb.
 
I have 427 friends. Of that, I'd say about 100-150 of them are online friends who I never met. The rest are from high school, colleges, bible studies and churches. :)
 
I'm not too picky, but I only add people that I know/have known in real life.. I don't add online people.

I have 288... and 9 pending requests of people I don't know...
 
hahaha...i have 626 friends.
i do not discriminate, obviously. a lot of my friends are from here, but most are from college and high school.

a few, (i just counted--six) like Mark Dever or Lew Rockwell, are people i don't really know. other than that, i know everyone on my page in real life, but for the PB folk; there are 47 of you, but one I do know in real life from college.

and i did just recently go through and delete people that i never talked to.

also, i sort of fall under the paranoid category and my name is not my real name on fb.

I'm the same way. I'm "friends" with John Piper and R. Scott Clark but I know they don't know me from Adam. I'm also friends with a few famous musicians, who I have met, but also don't know me at all. Being friends with them isn't to add to my ego; it's because I genuinely like what they post on their profiles and do want to keep up with them in a non-stalkerish way.
 
While we're sort of on the topic, what about "friends" on the Puritan Board?

I was only on Facebook for a couple of days, but it seemed that many people simply friend for the sake of doing it. It seemed like a waste of time. I don't have any friends on this discussion board; it likewise seems to be fairly pointless.
 
I have 140 friends on FB. Most are Christians. I especially add those who are friends of my current friends. I find FB is a helpful tool in keeping in touch and connecting with Christians all across the country (and possibly the world).

Especially of the dominionist variety :D
 
I don't have any friends on this discussion board; it likewise seems to be fairly pointless.

That's fair, though I understand the appeal of "friendships". I think I have 9 here, and they're mostly limited to people I actually know in person, or those who I seem to be agreeing with a lot.
 
FB has provided an interesting witnessing dynamic. Many of my former classmates and family members have "friended" me. This has lead to discussions about then gospel, both on my Wall and in PM. It also means I must be diligent to police what is posted on my Wall. Two-edged sword.
 
hahaha...i have 626 friends.
i do not discriminate, obviously. a lot of my friends are from here, but most are from college and high school.

a few, (i just counted--six) like Mark Dever or Lew Rockwell, are people i don't really know. other than that, i know everyone on my page in real life, but for the PB folk; there are 47 of you, but one I do know in real life from college.

and i did just recently go through and delete people that i never talked to.

also, i sort of fall under the paranoid category and my name is not my real name on fb.

I'm the same way. I'm "friends" with John Piper and R. Scott Clark but I know they don't know me from Adam. I'm also friends with a few famous musicians, who I have met, but also don't know me at all. Being friends with them isn't to add to my ego; it's because I genuinely like what they post on their profiles and do want to keep up with them in a non-stalkerish way.
I am friends with Derek Webb, who I have met in person but who does not know me. I agree with you--I don't think you being a friend to a famous person could add to your ego. It's not like they asked you--and even if they did, the rest of the world wouldn't know it! But some people, like Matthew Smith of Indelible Grace, actually do write on facebook and give status updates, etc. That is my favorite part of facebook, even though when it was introduced I was very confused!
 
I have about 400. Of those, I have personally met about 200. Another 100 are internet contacts (like from here) and the other 100 I will have to prune off as time goes by unless they are especially interesting or I strike up a rapport with them.
 
Ben,

Many ppl add "friends' for online games..

I play a few games online..so therefore I have added 'many' friends..ppl from all over the world, so many of them I have never met...but I have over 600 'friends'

but two of my brothers, my cousins and aunt's and second cousins, and nieces and nephews and my kids teachers, my sister-in-laws..and ppl from here, ppl from church, ppl from high school, elementary school, former neighbors, friends from when I was in the service, and then other friends I've have known over the years, and some of them have multiple accounts for gaming..so they send requests for those accounts..

My brother plays a couple of online games and needed ppl to be part of his gaming teams..so when my son started a facebook account he added him, and my son asked me to start one and play the game to help him..so I did....and my daughter plays a different online game and needed 'neighbors' so I started playing that game to help her..and in doing so it has grown my 'friends' list to over 600...

many of them send chat messages to ask questions about the various games they play or ask for help within the game--which in turn opens the door for talking about other subjects..some of them will see something I comment on or something I post and will message me or send private message asking about it..

A few of them from overseas started sending me links to various pastors to listen to..so I started sending them links..to things like The Whitehorse Inn, Sermonaudio, and Doxology_its all about God and such..they listen to the sermons or read the articles and then want to discuss them..

So from the gaming side of things your friends list can grow pretty quickly, and open the door to sharing the Gospel with others--
 
FB has provided an interesting witnessing dynamic. Many of my former classmates and family members have "friended" me. This has lead to discussions about then gospel, both on my Wall and in PM. It also means I must be diligent to police what is posted on my Wall. Two-edged sword.

:ditto:

I have also used it as a venue for Evangelism, especially towards old High School friends. For Christian friends, the Visual Bookshelf application is great for keeping up with books that we are each currently reading. Like any technology, it can be used to glorify God, or it can become a tremendous time waster.

I have 110 friends.
 
586, but those are people who added, me, i just confirmed. a couple hundred are college people who just recognize my face. Others are famliy, old friends from elementery, junior high, highschool, old church families. People I never see and never talk to, but I might send them a facebook invite to a wedding reception or something...oh wait, i already had my wedding and wedding reception. Welp, i blew it!
 
I have about six or seven, do not really use it.

My ex pastor has over 5,000 and that is the limit so then he had to start a Fan page. He did not like that but thats the rule.
 
Ben,

Another thing people do is join the various facebook groups that have discussion forums, and the ppl who belong to the groups begin adding others who belong to that group to their friends list..so if someone belongs to say 10 groups that they post discussion topics on..and each of those groups have 50 or more members it's easy to build your friends list up from just those 10 groups you belong to..
 
At the moment, I have 126 friends.

My husband and I were FB holdouts for a long time. Then, this summer, my father suffered a massive heartattack. When I took my mother home from the hospital that first night to get some things together to go back up for the night, she logged into her FB and immediately took maybe 5 minutes to put out a message to all her friends and family re: what happened and needs for prayer. The next few days, I saw how much it meant to her to come in each evening for a few minutes and read all the encouraging words for her and my dad. Wow! We were able to quickly get back to the hospital with my dad instead of spending time on the phone or thinking of who to email.

After I realized that a large number of my many relatives were there, I jumped in. I quickly found out how many from my husband's large family....who are dispersed all over the world...are there. So, I signed him up too.

It has been a great blessing and enjoyment for a busy mom. It takes me no time at all to keep in touch with people I care about....whereas before, I was constantly feeling guilty that I couldn't grab a slot of time for a phonecall, or the brainwaves to compose an email. :)

I have LOTS of family and friends from high school and college. My husband and I also moved quite a bit early in our marriage and it has been nice to get back in touch with people who blessed our lives for a brief moment in time years ago. :)

So, yeah, it can be a huge time drain.....or a blessing to you and others. Your choice. :)

-----Added 11/11/2009 at 08:33:46 EST-----

....oh...and they have these nice little choices called "ignore", "hide" and "block".

Mwaaahhhaaaahhhaaaa!!!!
 
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