Friendship Anyone ???

“Will you make phraand-sheep with me?”
“Hi! Nice dp! U luk attractive! Wanna be ma friend?”
“In the walk of life we all need some support to help us leave our footprints in the sand and reach the ultimate destination in life… So, will you be my FIEND???”

Those were just some examples of the odd, hilarious, creepy, cleverly (and not-so-cleverly) cooked up invitations to ‘make’ friendship. These are the methods employed to convince someone to add you as a friend on a social networking site. And if this is not enough, I have actually heard of people complimenting others on their pictures, hobbies, interests, passions, eyes, hair and even bone structure!!! It all boils down to the sole objective of *drum roll please* A Friendship Request! The quest for a new friend stems either from extreme desperation, isolation or just plain boredom!

Virtual networking has almost wiped out real world interaction. Whatever happened to the telephone??? And when was the last your gang met up at a friend’s house just for a chat? Not to mention the terrible impact these sites hav on ppls spellings. See wat i mean??? Hehe!

However, one cannot overlook the benefits of social networking sites. What better way to connect with people than a website that offers the combined features of e-mail, chat, photo-sharing and video-sharing? I personally am a huge fan of social networking sites such as Orkut, Hi5 and Facebook. Of course, I chose to ignore the negatives that come with such sites (namely, fraaandshepe requests from psycho strangers!)

Love stories blossom through such networking sites. Long lost friends reconnect through such networking sites. Events are planned and co-ordinated through the various committees, groups and discussion boards formed on such networks. Mass movements can be organised by spreading the word and gaining support through networking sites. Photos and videos can be made easily and quickly accessible to those residing in every nook and corner of the globe.

Of course, every application of such networks is personal choice. You have the option to enable/disable selected people from viewing photos, videos or even contacting you. You can choose not to reply to crappy friendship requests or you can go ahead and forge a friendship with random people. The best part of such sites is that they reveal the eccentricities of most people. The biggest introvert will go all out to enthusiastically chat with people online. The most unbearable singer might have a great collection of music. The geekiest geek in your class may be unable to navigate around the website and the ugliest duckling could have a gorgeous profile picture.

The rule is simple. Maintain safe distance (virtually) and exercise caution while using social networks. It’s up to us to use such websites wisely. And if you are one of those weirdos who randomly sends friendship requests and stalks people virtually then get the hint- You are a menace!
Boon or bane, social networking sites are a craze and the fad is here to stay. So, will you build a bridge of friendship with me? Plz, plz don’t reject my genuine request to build a friendship! Pretty please???