i have received many random friend requests and even send my own now and then....i think its a natural extension of having public profiles on here
Never randomly FRed, but often have based only on an interesting profile or Forum comment, nearly always with good results. I don't think I've ever unfriended anyone, other than inactive accounts.
I get random requests constantly. I look at their profile before okaying it.
I look at their profiles to see if they're readers/commenters, or just flirts and friend collectors. If they're the latter and male, I usually ignore them. I pretty much add any female who asks for an add, and usually answer messages from everyone, unless they seem stupid/vulgar.
no, i don't accept random friend requests, nor do i send them. i send messages/private chat with people before i accept a request. if i send a request, there's nothing random about it. something about you struck me, your profile, a thread post, written piece etc. i send a private message first and spend time chatting with you before sending a request.
Mysteria Dear
I accept maybe 1 in 5 requests. I always check their profile before I make a final decision.
My requirements are very clear and straight forward. Maybe some of them only speak limited English or do not read very well, in either case being friends is not easy.
If they just joined Lush, I may email them and restate my requirements.
But most of them end up in the ignore file.
My Goodness what a Butt.
Lady M, as you are well aware of I keep a very small circle of friends. I do this for a couple reasons; first off I am not online as much as I'd like to and I do not like ignoring my friends. Secondly, I find that bigger crowds bring bigger troubles - the whole "if you are friends with them then I can't be friends with you" playground games that are so rampant here. So keeping a small circle of friends prevents a lot of that.
When I do receive a FR, the first thing I do is check out the bio thoroughly. If it sounds like we may have something in common (besides "I love your stories"), then I might consider the request.
I haven't received a random friend request in quite some time. I'll check out their profile first and then decide. Since I don't hang out here like I did when I first joined I'm not a great friend I guess.
I am honest on my profile and so should the person wanting to friends be. A simple hi in the message won't cut it.
Many of the quality friends I've made here at lush were random. Agree with many other statements that a boiler plate first message likely gets ignored/deleted but something with a spark to get a conversation flowing is always appreciated. Finding some common interests happens via conversation so I see it somewhat as no different as just saying hello to someone in real life I don't know but I also realize there are some that send truly random and inappropriate openers that would never fly if in person - I know I've seen a few of those myself.