I've been using MFP for a while to track CICO but only started exploring the community yesterday. Love it!
Ive looked through the FAQs but can't find some basic info (which probably means this is a really dumb question).
If someone asks to be my friend, what does that mean exactly? What can they see and do? What can I see and do with them?
Thanks!
Replies
I am new to this too. I am fortunate, I've found some good people to friend and support. I've only dismissed two people who sent friend requests, one because I realized it probably wouldn't be a good fit and the other one kept sending me private messages about someone I didn't know and it made me uncomfortable. Everyone else is cool, we swap recipe ideas and cheer each other on. My advice: send friend requests to people that you have something in common with and share similar goals. Also, it's OK to drop friends who offer you no support in return.
So, if you are very private, you don't have to have friends, if, on the other hand you are social, then it's a nice thing to have. You can always unfriend anyone at any time if you want to.
I want the chats and the support from like-minded people but I think I could do without the constant posts. Maybe I will start small and see if I can stand it.
Meanwhile I got a friend request from a random person and wondered what the etiquette was on ignoring them or dismissing them. Is it no big deal?
Thx!
Perhaps joining some of the Groups might be more beneficial, then you can jump in/jump out when you choose.
Welcome to the community section of MFP. It can be fun, informational, and sometimes a wild ride depending on which forums you are reading. 😆
It depends on the setting of your friends. I only have one setting activated in an area that I need encouragement so it's possible to not get bombarded with a newsfeed of items. I have 20ish friends and see about 6-12 things per day in my newsfeed. Easy to skim and throw a comment or like on. And turn your notifications off...well for the non-important stuff anyways.
As for friend requests from people you don't know...it's up to you what you do (accept, ignore, dismiss) but only do what makes you happy. Personally, if I've had zero interaction with the person, its a dismiss right away. I prefer to give my time and energy to people who I have some form of connection with.
You will find that many of your friends aren't active everyday, especially as time goes on and enthusiasm wanes.
My next dumb question is : whats a group and how do you join one? I can see forums, and can see posts / discussions. Are those what you call 'groups'?
Cat0703, your approach seems very reasonable to me. I will explore the settings and figure it out.
Cool trick, if you want me to see your post rather than stumble upon it, add the @ symbol in front of it, @k8richer. Then when MFP is working correctly, I get a notification when I log into the community that someone has mentioned me. 😊
Now as for groups, I'm not the expert on them but there are some really great ones around. If you are on a desktop computer, go to community then on the dark blue bar you will see "Groups". Maybe choose an active one that appeals to you first so you can get a sense of what groups are. There are ones for recipes, different dieting styles, activity or challenge related ones. Some require an admin to let you in so if you see one or two that interest you, select "Join".
I scroll right by the routine posts - the days logged in, closed diaries, workouts. I scroll and look for actual content that may be of some interest. you'll also find that if you are adding friends (especially if they are new to mfp) that within a few weeks/ month they disappear. failed new years resolutions and all
Personally, I accept all friend requests. If I then decide they need to be deleted, away they go. Really, the only time I delete is if they are acting inappropriately towards me (my profile is obvious I am happily married and not looking for anyone), if are engaging in unhealthy behaviors (as in under eating on a regular basis or encouraging/promoting things like shakes, meal replacements, etc that are unlikely to work long term) or if they have been inactive a REALLY long time (and even then I have a couple on my friends list that I've had pretty much since I joined 10 years ago almost that haven't been active in awhile but from time to time they pop in to say hi)
Happy journeys to you all!