# Am I the only facebooker who sorted their friends? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890 "2010-12-21T00:07:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/1 "2010-12-21T00:07:08Z")
I went over to this latest new profile stuff and stuck my friends into lists without much thought or effort on my part. Now I’ve looked through most of my friend’s pages and without exception no-one else has done it. It seems an OK feature to me, but I’m just getting a ‘seperated from the herd’ sort of feeling. Could it just be that I have less friends than average (about 40) and those with 120 - 500 friends find it a pain in the arse? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/2 "2010-12-21T00:09:36Z")
Moved Cafe Society --\> IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@The\_Amazing\_Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Amazing_Hanna)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/3 "2010-12-21T00:19:07Z")
I don´t think you have few friend, I just think you´re unusually honest. Very few people have more than a handfull really good friends, in my experience. The very lucky would have a dozen. A lot of people really don´t have any close friends outside of their family. My parents were like that. Sure, they had friends have come over from time to time, but nobody, I think, they could really relax with and depend on except one another. A good friend is really something to be treasured. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/4 "2010-12-21T00:46:19Z")
i’ve got about 1300 friends, entirely accumulated from acquaintances I have met personally in the last… 5-6 years so that’s definitely too long to sift through and list properly. However, if you break it down to “friends” as in people i talk to regularly, enjoy the company of, etc. my AIM buddy list (120ish last i checked. i gchat more than IM), is definitely organized into lists. So is my phone. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/5 "2010-12-21T00:50:13Z")
I have about 300, and I organize them thusly: people I went to public Milton High School with people I went to Mass Hospital School with (and staff) people I’m related to/potentially related to (and quasi) my brother’s band/fellow fans ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/6 "2010-12-21T00:59:23Z")
I don’t care enough to make the effort. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/7 "2010-12-21T00:59:44Z")
I sort mine. I didn’t think other people could see it (not that it matters). ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/8 "2010-12-21T01:58:54Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I sort mine. I didn’t think other people could see it (not that it matters). I don’t believe it’s public information, which would explain why the OP hasn’t seen anyone else’s list. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/9 "2010-12-21T02:04:48Z")
I sort mine - made easier by the fact that you can choose which lists to put people on at the time that you friend them. I’m pretty sure you don’t see other people’s lists because you can’t, and not because they don’t exist. I sure hope other people can’t see my lists! They might not like what categories they are in LOL. ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/10 "2010-12-21T02:21:46Z")
edit: oops ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/11 "2010-12-21T02:29:57Z")
**Hanna** , Thank you for the compliment but I am only unusually honest when no convenient alternative presents itself. 😉 I did a little light reading in facebook help and It seems I’ve sorted my friends into ‘featured friends’ lists that everyone can see. I’m still not sure if that is different to what others have done. I’m guessing that my friends just ignored or clicked through any screens suggesting that they sort their friends into lists. If you want to read up: Help\> Profile \> Top questions about new profile \> Who can see my featured friends lists? (and) How do I feature specific friends on my profile? Help\> Friends \> Friend Lists and Privacy settings \> What are friend lists? (and) Who can see my featured friend lists? **Jack** you might have to rename ‘bitchy whining coworkers’!! I always assume _everything_ on facebook is totally public!! ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/12 "2010-12-21T02:40:39Z")
(Too late for edit) Just used Privacy Settings \> (Connecting with facebook heading) ‘view settings’ \> ‘Preview my profile’ and anyone who searches me will see my friends according to how I’ve grouped them. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/13 "2010-12-21T04:30:37Z")
You can sort your friends into lists independently of the “Featured Friends” lists that are apparently part of the profile redesign. Once your profile is converted to the new format, those lists are not automatically “featured”, so friends will not see them, but “Featured Friends” \*are \*shown to friends. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/14 "2010-12-21T04:38:20Z")
I sort mine. I have “Friends and Family”, “Olde Schoole Friends” (people I was once friends with, who I think fondly of but have no real interaction with now), and two groups of work-related friends: “close” and “wide.” The former are people I see on a monthly basis. The latter are people I mostly see never, but friended for work reasons. I just looked–I’m ashamed to say that I have 145 friends. I had hoped I had kept it lower than that. ---
**Author:** ![Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@Crowbar\_of\_Irony\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crowbar_of_Irony_3)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/15 "2010-12-21T12:09:29Z")
I do sort mine too; there’s a list, no more than 20, which consists of people whom I have spent time with and would like to stay in touch. The rest are acquaintances, long forgotten classmates and people who just want to network. If I narrow the list down to people I see frequently (at least once every 2 or 3 months), I guess it would be no more than 10. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/16 "2010-12-21T15:46:34Z")
I started sorting mine. I didn’t realize that was a feature until I read this thread. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/17 "2010-12-21T17:05:34Z")
> [@Just\_Ed](#): > > You can sort your friends into lists independently of the “Featured Friends” lists that are apparently part of the profile redesign. Once your profile is converted to the new format, those lists are not automatically “featured”, so friends will not see them, but “Featured Friends” \*are \*shown to friends. It changes everytime you visit your profile. If you click on “friends” the screen fills with your friends, though with no rhyme or reaon to arrangement. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Just\_Ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Ed)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/18 "2010-12-21T17:49:45Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > It changes everytime you visit your profile. If you click on “friends” the screen fills with your friends, though with no rhyme or reaon to arrangement. Yes, but I don’t believe that’s what we’re talking about. I use lists to separate my friends from fan pages and other stuff in my news feed; the OP is (I believe) referring to the new “Featured Friends” lists that show in your profile. Here’s the two ways to sort friends (that I know of):[ol][_]From the “Account” drop-down on the upper right of the screen, select “Edit Friends”. This brings you to a page where you can assign your friends into as many lists (or multiple lists) as you want (sort of like tagging). I’m pretty sure these lists don’t show up in your profile; they’re useful for sorting your news feed if you want to concentrate on certain friends outside of the regular clutter.[_]From your Profile page, click on the “Edit Profile” link that should be just under your name (after your education and work history, your birthdate and hometown, etc.). This brings you to the new edit screen with several options along the left side of the screen, one of which is “Featured People”. Clicking on that gives you a new screen with three options: Relationship Status, Family Members, and Featured Friends. I think creating lists using “Featured Friends” results in the lists your friends can see (I haven’t used it, since I already had my lists set up prior to the profile revamp).[/ol]And of course, all of this is only applicable if you have the new profile page. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/19 "2010-12-21T17:51:55Z")
I just sorted mine by how I know them - hometown, college, work, SDMB… ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890/20 "2010-12-21T20:00:06Z")
I didn’t know that you could until the other day my daughter mentioned it. It would be convenient I suppose, although mostly I just see them on my wall and know who they are, I don’t go looking for their pages that often. I have around 200 but only a few dozen are active on FB. Well they might be active in the games but I block all that stuff. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-facebooker-who-sorted-their-friends/564890.md?page=2)