A Sticky Predicament

Four too few, six too many.....

Once upon a time, if you met someone at an event in another city and the two of you hit it off, chances are that would be that. Okay, you could send a card or a letter, or maybe even call, but that took guts, which were in shorter supply back then. But now you can just Google that person, or friend him on Facebook or email him and that person cannot run, cannot hide, cannot escape the all-seeing, all-knowing Interweb. And the more successful the person has been in the past, or the more prolific, the more you can uncover about what he does, who he knows and how he lives. It's certainly a good way to separate the wheat from the chaff, saving you from years of unnecessary interaction with someone who may actually be wrong for you as a friend.

But you meet people all the time, and even many you don't like one bit send you friend requests on Facebook. What should you do? You confirm. At least I confirm, as long as I know who the person is. It means nothing but it makes people feel good, and prosperous and popular, like that matters in the end which it does not, but few of us think about the end when we are safely ensconced in the middle.

It's tricky, though, because having too many Facebook friends is a turn-off. Like, just who the heck do you think you are with those thousands of friends--a rock star? Or worse, a politician? What you want is not too few, but not too many. Like prunes.