What does it mean to have an SDMB "friend"

I’ve had a very few people ask this, and I hit the check button to okay it, but I have no idea if there is anything else involved. I don’t see anything on any screens indicating if any of my friends are online, or any chat function like on Facebook.

I assume if someone sends me a friend request and I okay it, not only am I their friend but they are my friends too. Correct?

So what’s the deal? They can’t access my bank accounts, can they???!! I dunno, I’m kind of a mole guy, I don’t want too many friends.

There are some functions that use it; none of those functions is currently enabled here.

So – not a whole lot.

I’ve got one “friend”. He initiated the relationship, not me, and as far as I can see it makes no difference at all.

It lets people know if you’re one of the cool kids.

The only use I’ve gotten from it is that it makes it a little easier to go to their stats and find recent posts.

I just took it to mean that they don’t want you to say bad things about them. :smiley:

I’ve just noticed that by looking at your public profiles, I can see who all your friends are. And I can click on the icons of your friends, and bring up their public profiles, and see who their friends are, and click on…

For example, there is a Who’s Online function that is disabled here. When that is enabled, a list of everyone who is currently browsing will show up on the front page. Your friends will have a “+” next to their name so you can easily see them.

Now the thing to do to follow that activity up is to find who has the most friends. After that, find somebody BANNED with the most friends and see what a fat lot of good it can do.

Interestingly, I see one unlikely person who’s friends with half the people in this thread and who has 86 friends.

Possibly a friend fetishist.

That’s got to be like running for Congress. Patient Zero!

Lib?

That Liberal is one gregarious fellow.

All I get are ‘enemy’ requests…what does that mean?

-XT

I don’t think I’ve ever initiated it either. Nothing against anyone–it just never occurs to me. The people who are my friends seem like nice folks, though. Some of them I know better (i.e., have read more of their posts) than others.

It means they screwed up-you weren’t supposed to see those.

Oh…well, maybe they thought I wouldn’t notice…

(Of course, the little dagger in the head smilies they send along with them might be a dead give away as well)

:stuck_out_tongue:

-XT

Half of my friends aren’t speaking to me.

…and the other one is Marcel Marceau.

I’ll be here all week, try the veal, etc. etc.

I use it as a way to tell people that they are appreciated. And it seems like every friend who initiated did the same thing. So far, no one has treated it like Facebook and thought that it meant we should be having long conversations with each other.