Anti-Social Networking

I got a notification that someone new was following me on Twitter! Thankfully, because I didn't recognize the account name, the email included "A little information about" this new follower. I eagerly scrolled down to discover the identity of this mystery follower and perhaps glean a little something about who they might be if it turned out to be someone I didn't already know - the suspense was killing me! I finally reach the synopsis:

6449 followers
139 tweets
following 6549 people

What a let down. That tells me exactly NOTHING about this person. Its more than useless, its a damn nuisance.

So drax0r and I were on the phone when another request came in for someone to 'join' me on one of those numerous & viral social networking sites. It was a coworker we both know, and I mentioned to him that we needed to start our own social networking site, with much better options than the ones we're given now. Rather than either "Accept" or "Decline" we need an "Ignore." More to the point, we want multiple options with our choices button. Let's face it, sometimes the limited options are embarrassing.

Had I an optional reply with my button, I could select something along the lines of, "Look, I don't really use this account anymore, so it would be pointless for me to add you (to avoid hurt feelings of coworkers).

Then drax0r knocks one out of the park with this gem - an ignore choice that will *actually* decline the request, but which replies to the sender that I've accepted! That way everyone wins. It puts up a false page which makes it look like you've never updated, but no one feels left out.

Social Networking - Online Exclusivity Clubs. Only the names have changed, not the people who participate.