Friends List?

[Wavelength]

Okay, I noticed that the new features of the board include something called a Contacts & Friends List. Uh... what's it for, exactly? I'm glad there are people asking to be my friend (and of course I won't refuse anyone, so c'mon over!). But I'm confused. What does being on someone's Friends List actually do? If I accept someone as a friend, does that mean I'm automatically on their Friends List as well? Should I collect Friends like candy and then store them all in a shiny Popularity Box? After 100 Friends, does that mean I get the status SuperCool and my own virtual sunglasses? :cool:

I don't do FaceBook and I don't have any active online blogs either, so I'm thinking this is might be the same sort of thing. I'm kind of an online social networking introvert. Please use small words when you explain. Thanks! :o

[snowbear]

It's quite like you described. (Save for the collecting, storing and sunglasses. :grin:)
Also, you can set your blog and photo albums to contacts-only. This offers a new level of privacy that the old version of LHC lacked.

Make sense? :)

[FrannyG]

I'm like you, Wavelength. I don't have any experience with this sort of thing. However if you do want some measure of privacy, you might want to make your blog or your photo gallery friends-only. Also, if your friends go the private route, you'll still have access.

[morningstar]

Thank you Wavelength for asking my question. I was amazed like "wow I have friends, wait how many friends is normal?" It felt like high school again.....eeeewwww!

[Koala Kim]

But...but...I want sunglasses! :wail:
I expect them in the mail by tomorrow. :D

As snowbear & franny have both stated, the friends list is there to give you more control over who sees your blog & photo album.
If you set them to "contacts/friends only", then only the people on your list will be able to access your blog & photo album.

You also have the option to allow comments.

[dancingbarefoot]

It's not about popularity. The friends and contacts are used for setting your privacy choices - something each user gets to determine for herself.

[iris]

What exactly is the difference between friends and contacts?

I've noticed one difference so far: friends show up in your profile, contacts don't.

I'm not sure what happens if you add someone as a contact - do they get a notice of that, for instance?

I've been adding a bunch of people as contacts rather than friends - mainly people who I thought might want to be able to read my blog (based on what I know of who read my journal on LHC before). The blog can be set to contacts-only, right, not friends-only.

It feels a bit weird to me to add dozens of people as friends, since I tend to reserve the term IRL for people very close to me and I can count my RL friends on the fingers of my 2 hands quite comfortably ;-). (ETA: I realize 'friend' is just a word, I'm just not sure what the word means in LHC context so I'm falling back on what it means to me IRL). But I may want to befriend people after all if it's substantially different from becontacting them. So what exactly are the differences?

Iris

[morningstar]

Thanks Iris. This is the question I have had in my mind also. Contacts vs. Friends. I am still not sure about how this works. So far the people in my friend folder I feel comfortable with. I am not seeing any mystery people.

[darkwaves]

I'm uneasy about the amount of information that could be public here, and so I'm planning to use my friends list to moderate some of my photo albums -- and also so that I can keep reading the private journals (now blogs) I enjoy if their owners restrict access to friends only.

My understanding is that the Contacts setting will also allow those people selected to view your more restricted info, but without flagging that or going through the, "Will You Be My Friend?" scenario.

I wonder -- is there a way to know on whose contact list you might be? If so, it's not obvious to me!

[whatevergirl]

If this has been answered already I apologize...I am just still a little... (ok alot):pconfused on some of this Blogging stuff. Ok, like we had Public journals and Private journals on the old board & to view the Private you had to be here so long and have so many post etc. But with this blogging I guess we won't have like Public OR Private Blogging huh? So the only way its private is we have to use the setting and only the friends|contacts can view them and thats what makes it Private,.. is that right? If that is correct I guess there could be folks we would not really mind reading them ,..but if we forget to include their names I guess they would not be able to read them, is that correct.?
I know there will be folks I really would not mind reading mine when I start one but I may not even know their names to even put them on the friends and contact lists. But I do know I would not want a totally public blog for sure.
I kinda wish the blogs were like the journals and were just catorgrized Public Or Private Blogs and then could just block out whoever I wasn't comfortable with reading mine, but I know I will Unintentially leave some out that I would not mind reading mine when I make it private...lol, if I am even understanding this at all...I'm really not always this dense, but for some reason some of this just isn't clicking for me...so I need a really sweet, kind patient person:wannabe: to set me straight on this (if you can):confused:

Remember I am 53 yrs old, not 20;)...and things take just a bit longer to sink in now I am finding, ...not to mention about 50 new meds the Dr's have me on now:mad:...lol

Thanks in advance kind person!!!!:D

[darkwaves]

So the only way its private is we have to use the setting and only the friends|contacts can view them and thats what makes it Private,.. is that right? That's my understanding.


If that is correct I guess there could be folks we would not really mind reading them ,..but if we forget to include their names I guess they would not be able to read them, is that correct.? Right, unless you've left it public.


I know there will be folks I really would not mind reading mine when I start one but I may not even know their names to even put them on the friends and contact lists. With luck, they'll write and tell you they'd like to read your blog - or send you a Friend request.


I know I will Unintentially leave some out that I would not mind reading mine when I make it private... Me, too.

[dancingbarefoot]

So the only way its private is we have to use the setting and only the friends|contacts can view them and thats what makes it Private,.. is that right?

Not exactly. There are two basic settings, public and private. However, the "public" one isn't really public in that anyone browsing the internet can see your stuff - ONLY registered members with 25 or more posts can see public items. For private, there are several options that you can choose for yourself. With this setup, you now have the options to make your blog and albums MUCH more restricted than the old forum settings ever were (where anyone with 100+ posts and 60+ days could see everything).

[iris]

My understanding is that the Contacts setting will also allow those people selected to view your more restricted info, but without flagging that or going through the, "Will You Be My Friend?" scenario.
Right... so contact would be 'you can see my private stuff but you may not know it'.

That would probably mean that 'contact' is a non-symmetric relation - I can have someone in my contact list without appearing on their contact list. But a 'friend' is always a mutual thing.

Mods, is this correct? And are there other differences between friends and contacts?


Not exactly. There are two basic settings, public and private. However, the "public" one isn't really public in that anyone browsing the internet can see your stuff - ONLY registered members with 25 or more posts can see public items. For private, there are several options that you can choose for yourself. With this setup, you now have the options to make your blog and albums MUCH more restricted than the old forum settings ever were (where anyone with 100+ posts and 60+ days could see everything).
Which is great. I think so, anyway :D

Iris

[whatevergirl]

That's my understanding.

Right, unless you've left it public.

With luck, they'll write and tell you they'd like to read your blog - or send you a Friend request.

Me, too.
Oh thank you so much darkwaves for your help and replies((hugs))...thats true, they could write and request to read blog in case I overlook them!!

Thanks again.;)

[whatevergirl]

Not exactly. There are two basic settings, public and private. However, the "public" one isn't really public in that anyone browsing the internet can see your stuff - ONLY registered members with 25 or more posts can see public items. For private, there are several options that you can choose for yourself. With this setup, you now have the options to make your blog and albums MUCH more restricted than the old forum settings ever were (where anyone with 100+ posts and 60+ days could see everything).

Oooh thank you also dancingbarefoot, this helps out quite a bit too!! It's good to know it can be EVEN more restricted.

Thanks again you helpful ladies!!:flower::flower:

[Wavelength]

Thanks very much, everyone! I appreciate the additional inquiries and the explanations -- it makes a lot of sense now. Thanks for being patient with my silly questions as well.

The difference between "Friend" and "Contact" is definitely something I'm interested in as well. I think iris asked my next question -- friends are mutual but contacts aren't, necessarily? Is that right?

(But darn, no virtual sunglasses!) :wink:

[snowbear]

Thanks very much, everyone! I appreciate the additional inquiries and the explanations -- it makes a lot of sense now. Thanks for being patient with my silly questions as well.

The difference between "Friend" and "Contact" is definitely something I'm interested in as well. I think iris asked my next question -- friends are mutual but contacts aren't, necessarily? Is that right?

(But darn, no virtual sunglasses!) :wink:
Correct!
Here, have a pair of virtual sunglasses! http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2883/sunglassesux2.png

[Wavelength]

Correct!
Here, have a pair of virtual sunglasses! http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/2883/sunglassesux2.png

Woohoo!!!! And I didn't even have to collect 100 friends for it!

Thanks snowbear! I owe ya one! :flowers:

[snowbear]

Woohoo!!!! And I didn't even have to collect 100 friends for it!

Thanks snowbear! I owe ya one! :flowers:
You're welcome! :lol:

[Dianyla]

I've made an explanatory thread here:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=390

[Wavelength]

I've made an explanatory thread here:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=390

Oh great! This was just what I needed. Thanks very much! :)

[ilovelonghair]

Can you change contacts into friends or friends into contacts?

[Lilibet]

It's not about popularity.

That's good to know (says Little Miss Billy No Mates over here). How do people feel about a random person adding them as a friend?

[aisling]

That's good to know (says Little Miss Billy No Mates over here). How do people feel about a random person adding them as a friend?

As long as you're a member of LHC and have some posts, I don't mind if people send me a friend request. I think most think like this, even if you haven't been in contact over PM or so, as long as they recognize your name and see that hey, she's been a member for a while, I think they'll be just happy to add you.

[Dianyla]

Can you change contacts into friends or friends into contacts?
Yes. Keep in mind that a Friend is always a Contact, but a Contact is not necessarily a Friend.

To make a Contact into a Friend, check the "Friend" box in their entry on your Contacts list and click Save Changes.

To change a Friend into a Contact, uncheck the Friend box and click Save Changes.

[physicschick]

Yes. Keep in mind that a Friend is always a Contact, but a Contact is not necessarily a Friend.

To make a Contact into a Friend, check the "Friend" box in their entry on your Contacts list and click Save Changes.

To change a Friend into a Contact, uncheck the Friend box and click Save Changes.

I'm not sure that method works. When I tried it on someone I accidentally made a Contact instead of a Friend, it didn't stick. However, I went to her profile just now and clicked on the link to befriend her, and it let me send a friend request.

[Peggy E.]

< snip >I kinda wish the blogs were like the journals and were just catorgrized Public Or Private Blogs and then could just block out whoever I wasn't comfortable with reading mine, but I know I will Unintentially leave some out that I would not mind reading mine when I make it private...lol, if I am even understanding this at all...I'm really not always this dense, but for some reason some of this just isn't clicking for me...so I need a really sweet, kind patient person:wannabe: to set me straight on this (if you can):confused:

Remember I am 53 yrs old, not 20;)...and things take just a bit longer to sink in now I am finding, ...not to mention about 50 new meds the Dr's have me on now:mad:...lol

Thanks in advance kind person!!!!:D

Well, I'm not a "kind person" as I'm not going to offer any "help" at all! Other than saying I'm older and take more meds!!!! Has kind of a "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe" feel to it!

Was there an answer to the part of the first question in which it was wondered if accepting a "friend" on your friends list will automatically place you on THEIR friends list? I've been happily accepting "friends" left and right, but not sending anything out of a reciprocating manner, figuring this acceptance put me on their list, too.

Maybe they look at it like a snub - it's okay for me to have THEM on my list, but I'm not going to be THEIR friend!

And does this mean I'm actually going to have to do something wonderful and entertaining so my friends won't be disappointed and drop me from their lists?????

What about all those other people who DON'T want to be my friend? Should I feel hurt, ignored, unworthy in some way?.....

(Paranoia strikes deep!)

[Peggy E.]

Oh great! This was just what I needed. Thanks very much! :)

Thank you, that answered all my questions! (Including some I didn't have until reading the answers!)

[Clare-Dragonfly]

I'm not sure that method works. When I tried it on someone I accidentally made a Contact instead of a Friend, it didn't stick. However, I went to her profile just now and clicked on the link to befriend her, and it let me send a friend request.

The same thing happened to me, except I just retyped her username and hit "friend" this time--it didn't make a duplicate or anything.