c4countdown

For those of you on Facebook (probably most of you), do you go through your friends list every so often and unfriend people you know longer really have anything to do with? I've never done this, but I know that some people have done it to me. And do you ever think about who you'd keep if you had to cut your friends list down to, say, 100?

I don't think outside of family , my friend list even comes close to a hundred in total.
Just to be clear , I've been using it since 2010.
A godsend when I had my major heart surgery.
It enabled me to let my family know that I was alive and well.

Yes, no (but I may do now).

I can only think of one unfriending that I regret, out of probably 500+ over the years.

I never unfriend, not really sure why. Up to like 1500 'friends', a lot of whom I don't really know. I guess I like to keep the connection, occasionally I'll talk to someone from school or something about something they post and it's nice to keep in touch. There's definitely a lot of those people who I would never do this with (a lot of chavvy dickheads from school etc) but where do you draw the line like. Easier to not bother

I take out a handful now and again where it seems that the elastic has stretched too thin, or I can't even remember how I know them. Pretty rare though, usually old korfballers. Interesting to see when people unfriend me, although I don't think it's happened for a year or two.

I normally do a cull about once a year, but noticed in recent years they've been getting smaller, probably because people I don't want to stay in touch with have already been deleted. Most people I delete tend to be people I've met through friends, and not spoken to for several years. What I always find more difficult is when someone who I've deleted readds me, do I accept or leave it (It sort of depends on who it is mind)

Thomas Carey wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 11:24 am I never unfriend, not really sure why. Up to like 1500 'friends', a lot of whom I don't really know. I guess I like to keep the connection, occasionally I'll talk to someone from school or something about something they post and it's nice to keep in touch. There's definitely a lot of those people who I would never do this with (a lot of chavvy dickheads from school etc) but where do you draw the line like. Easier to not bother

Though I don't quite have 1500 friends, the thing about drawing the line and it being easier not to bother applies to me. Also, I'm not sure what I would really actively gain from unfriending people. I sometimes unfollow people if they post too much stuff that I find annoying, but they don't get to find out about that and I can always undo it. Sometimes I still feel like I might do a cull one day though. It might be fun in a weird sort of way. Mainly people I have very little or nothing to do with any more rather than out of spite because someone's annoyed me though.

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:13 pm I take out a handful now and again where it seems that the elastic has stretched too thin, or I can't even remember how I know them. Pretty rare though, usually old korfballers. Interesting to see when people unfriend me, although I don't think it's happened for a year or two.

Do you have a way of keeping track of your friends? I sometimes just happen to notice that I'm not friends with someone any more. I don't make a list of my friends to check, or use some sort of software.

I always mean to "remove some people at some point" (definitely not organised enough to call it a "cull", especially as I reminds me of how wanky it is when people announce they are going to do a cull before they do so - yawn) but yeah, laziness.

My favourite facebook hobby is saying yes to Countdown people who add me because I'm too polite, and then removing them 6 months later when not a word has been spoken between us, in real life or on Facebook. As the kids would say, miss me with that.

I do go through mine intermittently and drop anyone I really don't know and haven't interacted with (e.g. recently dropped guy from Australia that I met on a cycling holiday but had absolutely zero interaction with for the last 4 years).

I used to aim to keep my friend list to <= 100, but have given up on that. Since getting involved with CD, I'd say the average age of my friends has probably halved!

Matt Morrison wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 10:23 pm My favourite facebook hobby is saying yes to Countdown people who add me because I'm too polite, and then removing them 6 months later when not a word has been spoken between us, in real life or on Facebook. As the kids would say, miss me with that.

Note to self: Check friend list in May 2020

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:45 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:13 pm I take out a handful now and again where it seems that the elastic has stretched too thin, or I can't even remember how I know them. Pretty rare though, usually old korfballers. Interesting to see when people unfriend me, although I don't think it's happened for a year or two.

Do you have a way of keeping track of your friends? I sometimes just happen to notice that I'm not friends with someone any more. I don't make a list of my friends to check, or use some sort of software.

I use FB Purity - simple browser add-in, and it tells me whenever someone doesn't list me as a friend any more.

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 1:07 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:45 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:13 pm I take out a handful now and again where it seems that the elastic has stretched too thin, or I can't even remember how I know them. Pretty rare though, usually old korfballers. Interesting to see when people unfriend me, although I don't think it's happened for a year or two.

Do you have a way of keeping track of your friends? I sometimes just happen to notice that I'm not friends with someone any more. I don't make a list of my friends to check, or use some sort of software.

I use FB Purity - simple browser add-in, and it tells me whenever someone doesn't list me as a friend any more.

Really? So as soon as the person unfriends, you get a message or a notification?

A bit like Jen, I've got rid of a decent number in my time and have only regretted one or two. I haven't thought much about the getting it down to 100 thing, but I don't think I'd find it too difficult.

For those who say they never unfriend, how have you managed to avoid ever friending someone who then fucks you over, turns out to be dangerous, etc.? Or are you not counting that sort of thing in the question?

I think I've got 226 friends now and that's my highest ever, give or take 1 or 2, so I don't friend on nearly the same scale as some of you.

Also - even on here, I may be the only person for whom the aesthetic appeal of my current total number is a factor.

Last night I was going to get rid of someone who I knew had closed her old profile and started a new one, especially as I prefer the number 225 to 226, but decided against it because I'd then be at risk of going down to 224, which I like even less as a number than 226.

Phil H wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:37 pm

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 1:07 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Tue Nov 26, 2019 9:45 pm
Do you have a way of keeping track of your friends? I sometimes just happen to notice that I'm not friends with someone any more. I don't make a list of my friends to check, or use some sort of software.

I use FB Purity - simple browser add-in, and it tells me whenever someone doesn't list me as a friend any more.

Really? So as soon as the person unfriends, you get a message or a notification?

Yep. Some false positives, with many notifications relating to a small number of people closing their profiles regularly.

Phil H wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:49 pm A bit like Jen, I've got rid of a decent number in my time and have only regretted one or two. I haven't thought much about the getting it down to 100 thing, but I don't think I'd find it too difficult.

For those who say they never unfriend, how have you managed to avoid ever friending someone who then fucks you over, turns out to be dangerous, etc.? Or are you not counting that sort of thing in the question?

I think I've got 226 friends now and that's my highest ever, give or take 1 or 2, so I don't friend on nearly the same scale as some of you.

How often do you get fucked over? As for dangerous, I'm currently Facebook friends with Richard Brittain.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:12 pm

Phil H wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:49 pm A bit like Jen, I've got rid of a decent number in my time and have only regretted one or two. I haven't thought much about the getting it down to 100 thing, but I don't think I'd find it too difficult.

For those who say they never unfriend, how have you managed to avoid ever friending someone who then fucks you over, turns out to be dangerous, etc.? Or are you not counting that sort of thing in the question?

I think I've got 226 friends now and that's my highest ever, give or take 1 or 2, so I don't friend on nearly the same scale as some of you.

How often do you get fucked over? As for dangerous, I'm currently Facebook friends with Richard Brittain.

Eh, I've got some people who have fucked me over on mine. I usually mute and add to like the restricted list (there's a setting) which makes them unable to see anything I post. I have about 10 people on that right now. I know I probably should unfriend because of the association but eh, there's a lot of people who I don't really agree with who I leave up there.

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:12 pm

Phil H wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:49 pm A bit like Jen, I've got rid of a decent number in my time and have only regretted one or two. I haven't thought much about the getting it down to 100 thing, but I don't think I'd find it too difficult.

For those who say they never unfriend, how have you managed to avoid ever friending someone who then fucks you over, turns out to be dangerous, etc.? Or are you not counting that sort of thing in the question?

I think I've got 226 friends now and that's my highest ever, give or take 1 or 2, so I don't friend on nearly the same scale as some of you.

How often do you get fucked over? As for dangerous, I'm currently Facebook friends with Richard Brittain.

Not too terribly often, but still. I'm guessing Richard isn't an immediate threat to you as things stand, but who knows. Maybe one for another thread.

Thomas Carey wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:25 pm

Gavin Chipper wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 3:12 pm

Phil H wrote: ↑Wed Dec 11, 2019 12:49 pm A bit like Jen, I've got rid of a decent number in my time and have only regretted one or two. I haven't thought much about the getting it down to 100 thing, but I don't think I'd find it too difficult.

For those who say they never unfriend, how have you managed to avoid ever friending someone who then fucks you over, turns out to be dangerous, etc.? Or are you not counting that sort of thing in the question?

I think I've got 226 friends now and that's my highest ever, give or take 1 or 2, so I don't friend on nearly the same scale as some of you.

How often do you get fucked over? As for dangerous, I'm currently Facebook friends with Richard Brittain.

Eh, I've got some people who have fucked me over on mine. I usually mute and add to like the restricted list (there's a setting) which makes them unable to see anything I post. I have about 10 people on that right now. I know I probably should unfriend because of the association but eh, there's a lot of people who I don't really agree with who I leave up there.

Interesting, I didn't know you could block someone and keep them as a friend at the same time. I think I've always been too much of a scaredy-cat to unfriend anyone I was still going to see at work every day - with one exception, inspired by stumbling across The Specials' "Racist Friend" in the build-up to the Brexit referendum

Ian Volante wrote: ↑Wed Nov 27, 2019 1:07 pm I use FB Purity - simple browser add-in, and it tells me whenever someone doesn't list me as a friend any more.

I use one called Social Fixer which does the same thing, as well as allowing me to mark posts as read so I don't keep seeing them, and filtering out all sorts of crap like sponsored posts.