# What does it mean to have an SDMB "friend" **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 23, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180 "2010-08-23T17:21:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/21 "2010-08-24T00:16:51Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > 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. So three Dopers appreciate me? Damn, y’all are a cold bunch. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/22 "2010-08-24T01:48:22Z")
Aww. I know that these friend requests are meaningless and that you were joking, but I had to befriend you, **Boyo Jim**. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/23 "2010-08-24T02:09:01Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Aww. I know that these friend requests are meaningless and that you were joking, but I had to befriend you, **Boyo Jim**. That’s sweet! I have performed an equally empty and meaningless gesture and accepted you as my SDMB friend. "Kum By Yah, My Lord Kum By Yah… " ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/24 "2010-08-24T02:25:03Z")
Meaningless warm fuzzies! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/25 "2010-08-24T02:40:35Z")
I decided to make a larger meaningless empty gesture of warm fuzzies. I have invited all of you who have been kind enough to respond in this thread to be by SDMB buddies, except for those of you who got to me first. This has made my whole day. That’s an unfortunate indicator of the present quality of my life, but WTF? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/26 "2010-08-24T02:41:06Z")
\ I’ll accept, **Boyo** , but this doesn’t mean I won’t say mean things about you in the future. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/27 "2010-08-24T02:47:37Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > \ I’ll accept, **Boyo** , but this doesn’t mean I won’t say mean things about you in the future. All my friends trash talk me. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/28 "2010-08-24T03:16:28Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > All my friends trash talk me. I’ll bet they do… jerk! ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/29 "2010-08-24T03:37:30Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] I decided to make a larger meaningless empty gesture of warm fuzzies. I have invited all of you who have been kind enough to respond in this thread to be by SDMB buddies, except for those of you who got to me first. [/QUOTE] Nothing personal me foin boyo, but I wouldn’t know what to do with a friend. 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/30 "2010-08-24T03:46:45Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > [QUOTE=Boyo Jim] > I decided to make a larger meaningless empty gesture of warm fuzzies. I have invited all of you who have been kind enough to respond in this thread to be by SDMB buddies, except for those of you who got to me first. Nothing personal me foin boyo, but I wouldn’t know what to do with a friend. 😛 -XT [/QUOTE] Do what you’ve done to all your friends. Betray them. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/31 "2010-08-24T03:53:43Z")
Every one of them, sadly enough. _sigh_ -XT ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180/32 "2010-08-24T04:45:25Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > > [@BigT](#): > > > > 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. > > So three Dopers appreciate me? Damn, y’all are a cold bunch. No, three dopers that actively use the feature appreciate you. Few people have very many “friends” unless they come from threads like this. Also, I described it poorly. It’s not that they appreciate you as a person. I mean more that that. It’s more of a thank you for helping them out, like, say with a problem in GQ, or lending an ear when they are feeling down and everyone else is just ignoring or attacking. For example, I got a PM from someone saying they appreciated me. Of course I added them as a friend. Heck, I’d add more people if there weren’t so many cynical people here. I don’t want people to be skeptical of my motivations. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-have-an-sdmb-friend/551180.md?page=1)