h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I just discovered that someone had put me on their friends' list, the name was unfamiliar. In fact it wasn't a name, just a number, U235568.

A look at the PS of this Researcher showed me that he/she hadn't activated their space, had written no entries or journals and had no other names on their list. And the spookiest thing was that they had literally only my journals in their conversations list. No postings. I have deleted my name from the list. I hope. The server seems a bit slow tonight, and the command says "press button to delete more than one name from list". All very odd. It's nice to know you can delete yourself from someone's list if you want to.

Oh dear, I don't think I can delete myself. I've tried in Goo, Alabaster and Brunel, but my name just won't disappear from that list.

That's really quite spooky TC!

eek!

and I really think you should be able to remove yourself from someone's list if you want.

How about contacting TPTB?

There's no way in the current system of you removing yourself from someone else's friend list.

Why does it worry you? Are you not happy that your journal entries appear in a few different places? I have people who have nominated me as a 'friend' who I have never heard of, but it doesn't worry me.

I agree that it's .

I'm sure there are feedback-places you could go to with it.

I'm also sure the option to remove yourself from a friends list has been asked for by others.

What I don't know is when that person registered. It could easily be that s/he put you on his/her friends list being a complete newbie and never returning afterwards; your journal entries show up _automatically_ as long as you're on the list. So depending on when the account was activated it doesn't mean the person actively subscribed to all your journal entries.

Hope that makes it seem a bit less

I strongly suppose the user registered somewhen between 17.7.2003 and 20.8.2003 (17.7.: not subscribed to your journal, 20.8.: subscribed to your journal). S/he didn't actively subscribe to any conversations (and you being the only one on the friends list explains why only your journal entries are in the conversation list).

So my guess: registered, pressed 'add to friends' while - for whatever reason - looking at your space, then left.

Now of course the question remains: what part of your page scared him/her away?

It doesn't worry me so long as I know who it is. As the person is obviously no longer about, or if they are, they are only reading my journals (including this one). If I wanted to stalk someone I would bookmark their PS and lurk.

The Friends idea is a jolly good one and I like reading other people's journals. If it gets too private I stop reading. Everyone should realise that whatever they write here can be read by absolutely everyone else, though. However, the link "delete from list" wouldn't work for me last night - the servers seemed to be playing up. I'll try it again now and keep you posted, in case any of you want to do it yourselves.

Thanks for the sunny - just what I needed.

I really don't know what Delete button you're talking about. The only one I can see is one to delete other people from your friends list. I can't see any to delete you from someone else's friends list.

F48000?thread=350038

Subject: Delete names from friends list
Posted Nov 25, 2003

I've noticed that if I visit a fellow researchers page, that both links for deleting names from their friends list is still there and I don't think they should be.


Posted Nov 25, 2003 by SEF

This has been reported before. It should probably be on the Development-Bugs list but it is worth pointing out that at least the links don't actually work for the wrong person.

Gnomon: if I look at your page, I see:


Here is the friends list of Gnomon:
Journal Entries by Friends

anhaga
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Azara
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Cheerful Dragon
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Cloviscat
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Frenchbean one pound down
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Master B - Don't stop writing! The project's nearly finished! A2083844
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Pimms Lettuce
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Recumbentman: Yes! Of course!
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete

Trillian's Child
Personal Space | Journal Entries | Delete



The third link under each name can be pressed, and it seems to do something, but effectively, it does not.

However, now Sunny has pointed out that this was already in the bug reports, I won't do anything myself. What is not quite right there is that "the links don't work for the wrong person". It would be nice if one could remove oneself from someone else's list if it bothers one.

But this subject is not worth any further discussion, so I'll let it drop.

Thank you.

I had this with an American researcher, who was then aggreived when I didn't add her to my friends list - though in my case it started when I replied to an entry in a thread.

I think people from chat sites think this feature is a way of getting involved in conversations.

btw, TC, have you seen this thread? http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/classic/F19585?thread=394390&skip=0&show=20

Hello. I've just put you on my Friends list Trillians, something I meant to do a long while ago, you were one of my earliest encouragers when I started in this here racket. Checking your journal just now I came across this thread.

The question of finding yourself listed as a "friend" of someone you know nothing about is certainly curious. I was shy for quite a while at first, and when I added my first friend (Just Zis Guy) I took care to ask his permission first.

However, the problem stems from the original choice of the word "friend" for this category of link. What else could they have called it? "Person whose journal I follow"? Might as well say "person I stalk". It *is* a form of stalking, but entirely benign.

Take it as a compliment, or at worst a random flailing of limbs.

My

Thank you for honouring me in your "Friends" list, Recumentman.

As, since I first discovered this oddity, and even before, nothing has happened, I had almost forgotten. Probably the person is no longer around on the site.

There are quite a few Researchers who have added me to their Friends' List, whom I know nothing about, and who I am quite sure, I have never engaged in conversation with onsite.

I reckon {IMHO} that new users click the "Who's Online" and look down the names, and add to their friends list the names of Researchers they like the look of. Probably just to make themselves look popular, or not a Billy-no-mates.

When I joined the site none of this was possible, I'm amazed how far the site has progressed.

I don't mind people lurking my journals, but I am very wary {now} of total strangers posting in my message centre {like the latest..."h2g2 virgin"} and expecting me to have a conversation with them.

I've been wound up by too many "sock puppets" and am way too paranoid to want any new "friends" now.

s

It's your name. Galaxy Babe is just irresistible.

So far I haven't had any particular cause to worry, but I post so little in my journal that I suspect those who do have me on their list have forgotten about me anyhoo.

On one online game I have been added to quite a few friends' list there with people I have barely come across. They get an alert when I am online, which could be a little more worrying, at least hotoo doesn't do that, yet.