# To whom it may concern: No friend requests. It doesn't serve any purpose. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 30, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849 "2015-06-30T04:18:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/1 "2015-06-30T04:18:06Z")
I see another friend request in my notifications. So, to whom it may concern: I’m not accepting any friend requests here. I asked the question in this forum a while back: What happens when one accepts a “friend” request here? What features to we get with “friends”? And the general consensus was: Nothing. There was some speculation, IIRC, that there are some friend-related features and goodies on other vBulletin boards, but that they aren’t enabled here. So no point in that. ETA: Here’s one old relevant sounding post I just found: > [@'Friend' request from brand new member here?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-brand-new-member-here/721952/3): > > There are several threads in ATMB about what’s useful about the friends feature and what requests do or don’t see when approved / denied. A quick search will give you authoritative answers from TPTB. > > The short answer, IIRC, is “not much”, and “nothing either way”. vBulletin has many fancier “social” features that aren’t switched on here. “Friends” is the visible tip of that submerged iceberg. More information in [this old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575547). ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/2 "2015-06-30T04:44:39Z")
Friend request avalanche in 3…2…1… ---
**Author:** ![jimbuff314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c57346/32.png) [@jimbuff314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbuff314)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/3 "2015-06-30T06:50:43Z")
I like **MeanOldLady** ’s response in the OP’s linked thread: > [@](#): > > It lets people know if you’re one of the cool kids. That seems to be about the size of it. “Oh, look - so-and-so’s friends with so-and-so. That second so-and-so has been around _forever_. And didn’t second so-and-so once tell a story about a balloon or a rabbit or a ficus that got loose indoors or something? So-and-so #1 must really be a so-and-so! I wonder if _he’s_ accepting any friend requests. I wonder if bribery is involved.” Also, I am no longer accepting requests for gratuitous sweaty sex unless children and long-term commitment(s) are on the table. Without those, I really don’t see any point to it. Ya’ll know who you are. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/4 "2015-06-30T09:08:23Z")
Curiosity made me look. And now I’ve got this horrible message on my screen: Your friends list is empty. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/5 "2015-06-30T10:50:30Z")
Why the public announcement? Couldn’t you just quietly decline? Like how many friend requests are you talking about? A deluge? Hundreds? Dozens? A handful? So many as to require a public announcement? Really? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/6 "2015-06-30T12:00:50Z")
I currently have a backlog of friend requests and ask that folks be patient with me as I attempt to catch up. ETA: requests are considered in the order they are received. Please, bribery is only an embarrassment to all. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/7 "2015-06-30T12:21:40Z")
Awesome. A double-pronged stealthbrag. So cool that people want to be hir friend, but too cool to participate in something like _that._ Nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/8 "2015-06-30T12:43:14Z")
My Little People: Friend requests are annoying ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/9 "2015-06-30T13:15:25Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Awesome. A double-pronged stealthbrag. So cool that people want to be hir friend, but too cool to participate in something like _that._ Nicely done. Seriously. Funny how I just accept anyone who asks me, because I think it’s nice that they would ask. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/10 "2015-06-30T13:20:52Z")
> [@jimbuff314](#): > > Also, I am no longer accepting requests for gratuitous sweaty sex unless children and long-term commitment(s) are on the table. You may want to really rethink your phrasing there. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/11 "2015-06-30T13:58:50Z")
I know, lets have\* enemy request\*, that come with blood splattered screen shots of the chosen user exploding in a ball of flame and screaming in agony. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/12 "2015-06-30T14:03:20Z")
Wait…people actually USE that feature? :sad: ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/13 "2015-06-30T14:14:33Z")
I can see a “friends” feature being useful in things like a hobby board, where a circle of people who live in a particular region might want to link activities on line. But here, with this bunch of bots, AIs and misanthropes? It is to laugh. Maybe we can trade it for zombie-thread and mod-as-mod flags? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/14 "2015-06-30T14:17:12Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > More information in [this old thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=575547). Hosted by Bob Vila ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/15 "2015-06-30T14:41:58Z")
Thank you for your candor. On a somewhat similar note, I would like to formally announce that I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the title of _People_ Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for this or any other calendar year. I must also respectfully decline the repeated (increasingly stringent) offers of a MacArthur “Genius Grant.” And for the last time, Mr. Anderson, while I admire your _oeuvre_ and would otherwise relish the opportunity to work with you, I am simply unsuited for the role of Dirk Diggler in your _Boogie Nights_ sequel, with or without the aid of a prosthetic to bring my own natural proportions down into the realm of audience believability. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/16 "2015-06-30T14:52:26Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I can see a “friends” feature being useful in things like a hobby board, where a circle of people who live in a particular region might want to link activities on line. But here, with this bunch of bots, AIs and misanthropes? It is to laugh. > [@](#): > > Amateur Barbarian has not made any friends yet ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/17 "2015-06-30T15:08:33Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Seriously. > > Funny how I just accept anyone who asks me, because I think it’s nice that they would ask. ^This.^ I like having friends and expressing friendship for its own sake. I’m glad we’re friends, **Anaamika**. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/18 "2015-06-30T15:11:56Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Seriously. > > Funny how I just accept anyone who asks me, because I think it’s nice that they would ask. > [@Johanna](#): > > ^This.^ > I like having friends and expressing friendship for its own sake. I’m glad we’re friends, **Anaamika**. OMG U GUYS! I hope this doesn’t turn into a cuddle puddle. OP would so hate that. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/19 "2015-06-30T15:18:38Z")
I would say we need to get a room, except I CLAIM THIS ONE! ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849/20 "2015-06-30T15:20:11Z")
I have a friend now. Just wanted to let you all know. 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-whom-it-may-concern-no-friend-requests-it-doesnt-serve-any-purpose/723849.md?page=2)