Nick wrote: "Otis, I'm talking for your ears here, I suppose."

Uh huh.

From what I gathered from all that (and it's still too early in the day for me to have to think that much), is that the "Follow" option would work similarly to the "Friend" option, with 'Followee' & 'Top Followee' tabs, perhaps.

The only difference would be that the 'Followee' wouldn't receive any information from the 'Follower'. Just a one-way street: Followee -> Follower.

I like this idea, but only if it is an option in addition to the ability to friend-request. I am still in favor of everyone having equal rights on GR.

Also, it's always nice when you see a few of your "friends'" reviews on a new selection -- it's like arriving at the bar, and everyone knows your name, and puts their heads back down in their books and you don't have to make small talk if you don't want to.

indeed, if nothing else, this provides a significant source of quick information. if i go to a certain type of book and see that none of my friends have read it, that in and of itself sets some basic stochastic guidelines. this bank of knowledge came totally without effort -- just a few months of casually reading my friendfeed -- and has proved most useful.

Otis wrote: "Clearly this is becoming a more important issue, given there are 39 posts!

I don't favor the idea to add a "don't accept author friend requests" checkbox a-la-myspace. It would work, but it's an u..."

Having read this thread, I'd like to offer an alternative solution:

* Any user U_foo can begin following any user U_bar, so long as U_bar has not blocked U_foo. An attempt to follow a blocked user would hopefully display customizable text (perhaps even granular to Un). U_bar is notified via mail.

* Wherever an operation's performed over what's currently a user's set of friends F, partition the results according to a new key on F. This could be "symmetric-friend -> i-follow-them -> they-follow-me -> sentinel" or, more pleasingly in the backend, just numbers. Anything with an ordering relation. Otis, I'm talking for your ears here, I suppose.

examples:

- daily mail would be partitioned into n listings (in the model above, n = 4 and the last one always has empty output). order within would otherwise be preserved.
- web view could employ folds by default for "they-follow-me", and unshaded results for higher sets (this can of course be customized). think of it as a default setting of minimum scoring threshold for a forum.

that way, when you're looking to waste time, you can read your 1500 friends' reviews in all their glory, but when on a tighter time budget you can always easily scan for the 15 people you care about.

Actually, I guess I'm just ripping off livejournal/twitter's model, where the friend relationship is not necessarily a symmetric relation. So it goes.

This way, I can make sure I get all the updates from my fun literary people, who I frankly think might not all really love my rambling, highly personal reviews of arcane computer architecture textbooks, physicist hagiographies and so ridiculously much warporn, and they needn't be bothered by it unless they really care to be that day.

Also, it's always nice when you see a few of your "friends'" reviews on a new selection -- it's like arriving at the bar, and everyone knows your name, and puts their heads back down in their books and you don't have to make small talk if you don't want to.

--rigorously, nick

To give authors a blog (which I remember suggesting way back when - but I probably wasn't the first) it might only be a matter of moving the writing up to more prominence on authors pages.

As we have top friends and friends so we could have an authors' tab too.

I do like the concept of being able to "fan" or "follow" an author, and I think that would be a benefit in general. But I don't think they should replace an author's friends.

Playing devil's advocate here, I just wonder if removing the ability for authors to friend people might not cause more issues than are solved. For example, perhaps this would cause some authors to create accounts separate from their official author account in order to do so. After all, like Cait said, authors aren't necessarily here just for their own books.

It would be sad to see authors unable to have full rights or access on the site just because they are an author. It feels a little too much like declaring authors "2nd class citizens", and I am fairly certain that is not what is intended.

I still think that the best solution is for users to monitor their own friend list. The tools are available now: if someone is behaving in a way that you don't approve of, let them know, un-friend them, or block them.

Otis wrote: "I think, as has been discussed before, that we need to somehow treat "author friends" as somewhere slightly distinct from regular friends. Authors are here to collect interest from members. Right now this means friending members, but perhaps it could eventually mean something different."

This sounds very exciting! As long as we can still add authors as regular friends instead or in addition to following them as authors (after all, not all authors are here just for their own books), this could open up a lot of new features -- like being notified when an author has a new book out, for example, which is something I'd dearly love!

I have a few comments on the posts since my last.

I like Otis' idea of authors having fans ala Facebook. There are already blog-like features for authors and their books, so an actual blog would only be of benefit, in my humble opinion, if it integrated the others. It would be even more useful if, like Blogit, it allowed you and others to follow the comments authors leave elsewhere on the site.

My placing net "friends" with whom I have no interaction in the real world on a lower level, that of acquaintance or correspondent, was not because I am cold or aloof. Truth be known, I tend to be a sucker for somewhat veiled appeals for sympathy, concern or advice. Rather, I find the "friends" terminology, as used on GoodReads and MySpace, to be misleading and, at worst, suggestive of a dating service. Though I do have some real world acquaintances and friends amongst my net "friends", there is still, in my own ancient prejudice, a world of difference between a "pen pal" -- a "friend candidate" until met and liked in the real world -- and a living, breathing friend.

As to getting friend requests with whom you "have nothing in common", I was disagreeing with the notion that you could actually know that from the obviously paltry percentage of total books read that most people, myself included, post on this site. Some of it is from laziness, some from having read a good number of book editions from before ISBN, some from not wanting to locate that book you read umpteen years ago and is in some box from some move and maybe it has an ISBN. (In case you're wondering, I am writing this from work where I have no access to my home library.) In any event, I am inclined to think that I probably have something in common with the requester and, if I don't, I really do not mind a different perspective.

That sounds like a great idea, Otis! :)

I personally have not had much problems with authors (only some of them are a bit over-zealous with their book marketing), but instead with some other members who request friendship with hardly anything in common... People with 100 friends and two books to read added! And some of them go ahead and ask if I'm married. Sheesh!

Clearly this is becoming a more important issue, given there are 39 posts!

I don't favor the idea to add a "don't accept author friend requests" checkbox a-la-myspace. It would work, but it's an ugly solution and the losers would be authors who actually use the site normally and responsibly.

I think, as has been discussed before, that we need to somehow treat "author friends" as somewhere slightly distinct from regular friends. Authors are here to collect interest from members. Right now this means friending members, but perhaps it could eventually mean something different.

Like maybe you could just be a "fan" or "follower" of an author instead of a friend. That kind of one-way relationship still gives the author a warm fuzzy feeling of "i have a lot of fans", but doesn't let them continually spam you with book recs, polls, etc because you won't be their friend.

Anyways, it's too late to be thinking so hard - but I think the solution is something along those lines. My real dream is to give authors a blog and let members subscribe to their blog. The authors would be incentivized to write because they have "X fans following their blog", and members would only follow blogs of authors they liked - everyone wins!

Cool. Thanks, Rivka!

My question is if we put an upcoming event on our home page, as authors, does it automatically send out a notice to everyone regardless of whether or not we want them to?

No. Inviting all or some of the people on your friends list (or the general GR populace) is at least a couple additional steps.

I have a question. An author that I accepted a friend request from sent out three scheduled events right afterward that came to me via email.

My question is if we put an upcoming event on our home page, as authors, does it automatically send out a notice to everyone regardless of whether or not we want them to? I haven't put any events, but now I'm wondering if I did would they be sent to all of my friends? I would only put them up to be on my author page, not to be sent out to everyone. So I need to know how that works. I won't put anything there if it's going to mass email my friends.

I hope that wasn't too convoluted...

Thanks!

Chey

Dee, you've got it. I think that was the crux of Stewart's posts.

When I first joined GR, I got lots of requests both from authors trying to advertise their books and from people who wanted a large number of friends. At that time I would check their profile, compare books, look over their comments in groups, and then decide. Sometimes I just said yes automatically. Many of these people, authors and otherwise, simply shared no interests with me. I knew they had not selected me because of any desire to share conversation, book reviews, or comments, but for some other purpose incompatible with my purpose for being on GR. In several cases it was obvious I was simply a random name to whom they could send a request and later send all manner of marketing mail, etc. Eventually I weeded out those and trimmed my friends list to just those people with whom I shared some interests. This includes a few authors. I created my own criteria for controlling my experience here, including a little check to see if the person sending me a request has at least glanced at my profile. Anyone who demonstrates they have not done so is an automatic reject. When I am interested in adding someone to my list, I talk to them about it before sending the request.

That works for me, and I've found little need for other controls. Others, of course, have a different experience.

Author groups seem the more viable solution to me -- an author can market to an audience that has chosen to be there for it, members comments show on the pages of other friends, reviews of the authors books appear, and GR works as it was designed.

Like many others here, I tend to reject any marketing or sales pitch that annoys me, so I know it does little good for an author I've never heard of to send me sales messages -- the appearance is that they do not want my interest, just my money. However, I've also bought books from authors I've never heard of based on reading their conversations or because friends recommended them -- in fact, that's how I make the majority of my book choices.

{waves hello franticly to Grace}

Bringing authors and readers together is what Goodreads is all about. This is a unique site. Where else can an author get to talk one-on-one with his or her readers? Where else can a reader get to ask questions from an author about one of his or her books?

I am constantly awed by how many amazing young authors are on this site. I would never have known that they existed without becoming involved in the Goodreads community (and my life would be less rich for not reading their stories). I would be totally honored if any of those brilliant writers {which I have affectionately dubbed "The Young Prose Society"} would send me a friend's request.

And, I think that is the bottom line to this discussion.

Are friends request being send out to people that are of interest to the requester...or are they merely being used as a "marketing tool."

Forgive me if I am wrong, but I think that was Stewart's original gripe.

Dee Marie

I guess I'm not so picky. In general, I accept friends requests unless it seems their request makes no sense at all. I'd say about half the people on my friends list are barely active so they're under my radar. If someone becomes annoying (as in authors who push too hard), I can always drop them from my friends list.

I love reading reviews and my friends list is a good way to keep up.

And I see that, like me, you keep your friends list well below 100. :)

Yeah.

That's why it's kind of hard for me (people not wanting to become friends when they're on my list or just that I have so many friends I can't keep up) because I'm the type of person who wants to consider those on my friend list as actual friends.

That's why I accepted them as my friend, after all.

I guess I kind of have the view of "you're on my friends list, that's why it's called a friend list and not an 'acquaintance' list, so let's talk. What kind of books do you like? Who's your favorite author? What do you dislike about this or that author? Who would you recommend?" And if we don't mind becoming friend-friends, "How's your day been?"

I definitely agree. It may not be true of every single person on my friends list, but the vast majority.

I don't mind befriending people on goodreads, because in general I find them worth befriending and very nice friends. Even though that isn't necessarily my 'goal' in being here (I wouldn't mind really becoming friends with people from goodreads, as I said, because most of you are very kind, considerate, intellectual people who share my love of books), it just is kind of the next step for me. First being in awe that there are so many others like me in one place, and then becoming friends with these people and reading their writings, commenting on reviews, etc.

I do have a lot of friends, and unfortunately I don't have the time to drop them all a 'Hey, how are you?'

Anyway...
I don't mind becoming friends with an author if we actually talk a little and if I'm not just a number on their 'friend' list. I know of a couple authors on goodreads who seem to be amazing people and don't just friend you and never talk to you again.

I guess I disagree, kind of, with what you are saying, C.P. It's just that I try to be a friendly person and outside of goodreads (there's life outside of goodreads? GASP! ^_^) I know pretty much no one who is as attached to and obsessed with books and writing as I am. So, naturally, finding everyone here as obsessed, I can't help but want to get to know everyone though I'm not that great at it.

I guess I kind of have the view of "you're on my friends list, that's why it's called a friend list and not an 'acquaintance' list, so let's talk. What kind of books do you like? Who's your favorite author? What do you dislike about this or that author? Who would you recommend?" And if we don't mind becoming friend-friends, "How's your day been?"

Sorry, I apologize, I didn't think this would be so long and I did think it would have more to do with the topic.

Petra X wrote: "1500 friends and you can keep up with them all, Andrea. I find that amazing. I have 40 and am definitely a GR addict and on here far too long but I can't keep up with all 40 and see what they are ..."

I have read hundreds of books in my lifetime, even excluding the non-classic juvenile literature, but I have not kept up with entering and reviewing them, just as I have not kept up with friends. Like MySpace "friends", they are not bosom-buddies, just occasional correspondents and a source of both books(music) to read(hear) and ideas for books(music) to write.

What I find annoying on all of these sites, though GR offends least, is the tendency to use them as dating sites. The last thing I want to do is to be trying to strike up a real friendship or "relationship" on a website. I find some comfort, then, in getting a "friend" request from someone with
for too many "friends" to be trying to date or be best buddies with them all. Then I know that we are here for the same purpose, to share ideas and books.

By the way, I am a GoodReads author and publisher, currently, of just my own work. I have gone this route because I have been disaffected with the publishing business in the last thirty years and so. There has been far too much trash coming out of the major publishing houses and the smaller houses represent their own closed communities. Not wanting my work sensationalized or thrown in the same pile with campaign literature and criminal tell-alls, I held off in publishing anything until I could do it myself. The print-on-demand capability has been a godsend for the independent voice.

(descending from the soapbox)

I think a weekly email about GoodReads authors would be a really great idea - so long as there was the choice to opt in/opt out.

For whatever reason, I get a lot of friend requests from both authors and readers. Frankly, the only ones that truly bother me are the ones from people who obviously are in the 'collecting' friends business.

If the request is from an author I read...I'm actually thrilled! Same goes if it's from a reader with whom I have many books in common. It's an additional way to connect and share views on what we're all reading. And I think the benefits go both ways to authors and readers.

However, if the requests are from authors who want me to read and review their book (this is, unfortunately for me, the most common...AND they want me to purchase it in order to review it!), I would MUCH rather have them send me an email vice asking to be a friend. Ditto for readers who have only a handful of books in common with my library here.

My Southern upbringing makes me feel 'rude' to outright refuse a request. I tend to let it languish for a while and then hope they have forgotten by the time I delete it! (Talk about passive/agressive, eh?)

I do wish Goodreads could do something about the authors who seem to be using the friend option ONLY for PA. Maybe a section in the monthly Goodreads newletter for "new books by our own Goodreads authors" or a weekly email or some such...

Just another readaholic...

Thanks, Rivka. :o)

I love that more writers are joining the site, that's something that I think should be encouraged. Most of the Goodreads authors that I've come across seem interested in being active participants, interacting with readers, or in just having a presence here. They are totally cool. And trust me, most users can tell the difference between them and the people who are trying to sell to us so hard that they're nearly spamming.

And Cheyenne, if you're actually concerned about annoying other members, then it's probably safe to say that you won't be one of the folks that are offending people.

Entirely agreed!

Thanks, Donna. I feel self-conscious about it now, though! As far as sig lines. I was following a thread and seeing the sig lines every single post from the same person was distracting. I think once would be enough, but that's just me.

When someone asks to friend me I always approve. I figure they must share the same interests or are interested in my books. (Way cool :o) But when it comes to me friending others, I'll just look for names I recognize, people who likely have the same interests and then I don't risk offending anyone.

I appreciate your note!

I think a lot of users wouldn't be seriously bothered by a friend request from someone with really similar taste who happens to be an author, especially if it's an author whose work they enjoy. It might not always be accepted, because everyone uses their friends list differently, but it probably wouldn't come across as super offensive.

I think the sensitivity is largely about writers who seem too heavily focused on using this community for self-promotion without much regard for other users. Long promotional signatures (which I've also seem complaints about) or random friend requests may not be, in individual cases, all that annoying. Yes, we can all easily decline a request or skim past promotional fluff. But this site has a really great sense of community, and it's become a trusted source of reviews for many members. I think that there's a little worry that the feel of the site would be threatened if it starts to be used too heavily as a marketing tool.

I love that more writers are joining the site, that's something that I think should be encouraged. Most of the Goodreads authors that I've come across seem interested in being active participants, interacting with readers, or in just having a presence here. They are totally cool. And trust me, most users can tell the difference between them and the people who are trying to sell to us so hard that they're nearly spamming.

And Cheyenne, if you're actually concerned about annoying other members, then it's probably safe to say that you won't be one of the folks that are offending people.

That's too bad some GR members are offended if an author wants to be friends. Some authors like to see what readers like and recommend. I only read books by recommendations. I don't want to offend anyone, so I definitely will just let people ask to friend me. I don't know most of the people who ask, but that's cool with me. Thanks for the feedback--gives some of us a clue.

First time author- new to all of this. Thanks again, Janni- for the information. :~D

The big positive I find with PA is I did not have to invest any money.

Actually, this is how any reputable publishing house (actual self-publishing companies aside) works--you never invest any money or pay to be published, save perhaps for the occasional promotional postcard or bookmark.

Stewart- Most first time authors have a very hard time being recognized. As for publishing houses- I do not find PA trashy at all! Sure I have to market myself. Don't all authors? There are negative & positive with all publishing houses. The big positive I find with PA is I did not have to invest any money.

Petra- the 1500+ friends... if they send me a message or a comment, I respond. Somedays I surf through to see what they are reading. I do not send spam. I am not one to send out numerous book recommendations. The only thing I keep the same on here is when someone becomes my friend- I thank them for being my friend.

Becky- I agree...

Kara- Sorry there are some false friend finders out there.

I am not on here to irritate anyone. If you would like to be my friend on here- Add me. Take care & have a great Christmas holiday! :~D

I just got a message, not a friend request, from an author who didn't even get my name right. It said "Dear Ka." THAT is annoying. I didn't even read the thing.

1500 friends and you can keep up with them all, Andrea. I find that amazing. I have 40 and am definitely a GR addict and on here far too long but I can't keep up with all 40 and see what they are reading and reviewing and the two groups I am active in.

I had a friend request today. The message included was that we had similar books on 'compare books' and we had both been to the Amazon. I have close to 2,000 read books, he has 33 and we have two books in common! I really feel bad about turning down a friend request. I guess that sounds kind of silly and it seems silly to me too but I don't like just ignoring someone who has written a message yet I never know what to write back.

"Nobody is asking for a ban. I suggested having the option to prevent it, if it suits you. That would fall under the user's responsibility."

I suppose so, but in asking for that, you are insinuating that authors should not be allowed to request friends. At least, that is how I see it.

Authors are users too, and yes, some of them do take advantage of the networking aspect more than others, but they should still have the ability to request friends if they so choose.

Do you also want an option to automatically reject users who are "friend-collectors" but who are NOT authors?

...And then I receive an author friend request. We have a whopping two books in common, and he has been a member for less than a week yet has 18 friends already.

I still stick to my previous statement that he should be allowed to request me as a friend. I just don't have to accept.

"I do not think that there should be a ban on friend requests just because the requester is an author. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of the person on the receiving end to filter their friends, not GR staff's."

Nobody is asking for a ban. I suggested having the option to prevent it, if it suits you. That would fall under the user's responsibility.

Andrea,
I understand what you mean. I can see both sides, and I think that both have valid arguments.

It is silly to expect authors to avoid friending people here altogether, but I can understand the frustration when authors collect friends just to be able to recommend their books on a massive scale. In this case, the author contributes nothing to the "friendship", and merely uses their friend list as free advertising and spam.

That is NOT to say that there are no authors here who are fully participating members and use the site appropriately, as I'm sure you do.

I do not think that there should be a ban on friend requests just because the requester is an author. In my opinion, it is the responsibility of the person on the receiving end to filter their friends, not GR staff's.

I think that Sherri's recommendation is best. If you want to narrow the number of friend requests you receive, put a message in your profile to let people know your expectations, and then delete requests accordingly.

"I find it amusing that people get "annoyed" at friend requests. Isn't that why you join groups? To be able to discuss common interests."
Yes, to discuss common interests. It certainly doesn't mean I want to be 'friends' with the people I discuss with.

"How silly it sounds- I like to read, but I don't like authors. hahaha..."
Well, books and authors are two separate things. If a person likes 'A Bend In The River', it doesn't mean they have to like V.S. Naipaul as a person. (And judging by Philip French's biography of the man, nobody would want him as a friend anyway.)

"I like to communicate with my readers & well- you get it."
I think that's the problem. Trash like PublishAmerica, who I see you 'published' with, expect you to do your own marketing, and as such GoodReads becomes a marketing tool for far too many with books that most likely should be deleted off hard disks rather than see print.

Getting friend requests from GoodReads Authors, who I share sod all in common with, and will definitely not read due to their book coming from some vanity/self-published enterprise, thinly veiled or otherwise, is a pain.

I wouldn't want to stop people I genuinely had something in common with, which is rarely an author, making friend requests. If I wanted authors as friends, I'd send them the request.

Perhaps we could have an option to only allow GoodReads authors to add you as a friend if you have any of their books listed. That way, the hawkers can't get near you.

Wow! I have requested many friends on this site. I take care of my own site and I respond to all comments and messages. I have over 1500 friends. I find it amusing that people get "annoyed" at friend requests. Isn't that why you join groups? To be able to discuss common interests. How silly it sounds- I like to read, but I don't like authors. hahaha... I am an author & I like to read & I like to make new friends & I like to communicate with my readers & well- you get it.

If it helps any, try putting a notice in your profile that says something like "I only accept friend requests from those I know or talk to here, so please send me a message before sending a request" and then automatically delete requests from those you don't know -- since it is obvious they didn't read your profile and may well be hitting all the names from a group list or the recently online list. I can't be bothered to friend's list someone who can't even check my profile. My friend's list is for people I want to talk with and in whose opinion and reviews I am interested.

The question can work, but I've noticed that it can also prevent people you do know from sending a request (I've run into that a few times myself).

Dee (msg 7) I've actually avoided sending friend requests to authors I've read (or have chatted with in groups) just because I see so many of them mobbed with requests, and I can't imagine how I'd start a conversation over all that noise :). The perceived prestige of having a high number of friends or 'author names' on one's lists evades me. The authors on my friends' list are people I know or talk to here.

I still have a little hope that one day GR will create a secondary method of being able to follow the public conversations and reviews of particular people without having to inflict your own on them (or put them to the effort of deciding if you are a 'top friend' or even a 'friend').

And, as others have recommended, blocking those who annoy you is a lovely option. I highly recommend it.

I'd rather not discourage authors from being regular users of Goodreads, though. I see any number of users who have tied their accounts to their authored books and continued on with reading and reviewing other books and friending other users just as non-authors do, and it'd be a shame if they felt that they couldn't claim their own books without being barred from otherwise participating.

And many of us become writers because we're readers, and really do enjoy hanging out here chatting about books, and very much want to stay! :-)

My first friend was a GR author & we're still chatting.

I was also slow in putting in the question, but did so after several, seemingly young, middle eastern girls wanted to be my friend. I don't think we shared a single book, group, friend or language in common. I don't know what their deal was/is. Somehow I doubt it was my charming looks or witty repartee.

On the other side of the coin, when I first became a member of Goodreads, "I" was bombarded for friend's request because I was an author, and not just by other authors. Some readers enjoy collecting "Author Names" as friends (which is great if the reader is really interested in the author, and not just a collector of names).

I, on the other hand have never sent out a friend's request, unless that person was my friend/fan that I had invited to the Goodreads community, or someone I had struck up a friendship with on the site.

To be honest, the friend's request is rather overwhelming at first, and, not being a person who likes disappointing anyone, the first month, I allowed several people that I had no contact at all with, to list me as their friend. It took me over a month to find the "ask a question before allowing someone to be your friend" function.

Since I established the Ask A Question button, my requests have dwindled to a true "friends or fans" list. Authors are readers, and they also bring readers to the Goodreads community. I just wish I had known about the Ask A Question function when I first became a member.

Perhaps there could be a "What You Might Want To Know" popup, that appears when you first signup for the Goodreads site?

I've found the question slowed down the friend requests from authors too. Authors have been getting a lot of stick on GR groups recently. I hope that this level of dissatisfaction might lead to a review of how GR can best help its authors and maybe an informal 'contract' of acceptable promotional behaviour.

I agree that blocking them from friending anyone is very much wrong. But it's just so darned annoying... but then I have also gotten friend requests from non-authors. I don't know who these people are and I wouldn't mind so much if they'd given me a reason why they wanted to friend me. I gather they are just 'friend collectors' of some sort? They don't say, I don't know.

Which is why I've now forced people to give me a reason. At least they have to take the time of day to write something. That seems to have worked so far... haven't had any in a while. So maybe people could try that.

I agree with Cait. Many authors here are also regular GR users, and I think that should be encouraged.

There are two easy ways that currently exist to discourage friend requests you don't want: make your profile private, and block each person who tries to friend you that you don't know. Additionally, you can also flag the request or use the contact us link; I know Otis & co have warned certain authors who abuse the friending before. So if many people complain about a given author who is friending random people, something will be done.

I'd rather not discourage authors from being regular users of Goodreads, though. I see any number of users who have tied their accounts to their authored books and continued on with reading and reviewing other books and friending other users just as non-authors do, and it'd be a shame if they felt that they couldn't claim their own books without being barred from otherwise participating.

Yeah, that is very annoying and counter productive as there is no way I'd ever touch their stuff even if they were the next Shakespeare.

I think I've solved that problem though by ticking the question box - it just forces them to say why they want to be a friend.

Although, that didn't stop one cretin trying to friend me from no where (he wasn't in any of the groups I was in, he said something about his music or whatever and nothing even about the books I'd read or reading. And it was in the worst possible internet txt speak too which further annoyed me.

That was one and I haven't had any since. I suppose they either can't be bothered to friend me or have paid heed to what I ask in my profile.

On MySpace they have an option to stop bands befriending you just so you listen to their music. This means you can get on with your MySpace life (if you haven't already migrated to Facebook).

I get a number of requests from GoodReads Authors that are obviously only trying to push books I have little interest at all. If I could just check a box in my profile that says 'Don't Allow GoodReads Authors to add as friend', or some such, I'd be happier.