Pros/Cons of adding "Friends"

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sbedzyk
sbedzyk Posts: 21 Member
in Introduce Yourself
So, I'm really new here and I was hoping to find out if anyone has comments about adding cyber "friends". I can't decide if I'd like to keep it to just my real friends, or if I should be more open to adding cyber "friends". I can understand some of the pros, like having folks to motivate you and to share tips with, I'm really kind of looking for any of the cons that you have come across. Thanks in advance.
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Replies

  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    Hey there! So, I only added real life friends at first. Some friends, my husband, and my mom, etc. Eventually I added some people on here that had similar goals or who just seemed nice/had similar interests/are very supportive. It's up to you of course. Many of my real life buddies here don't use the site as voraciously as I do, so I like having a wider network.
  • marquesajen
    marquesajen Posts: 641
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    Oh, and welcome to the site!
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    I love my MFP friends! They keep my head in the game. Honestly my real-life friends have other things to talk about than weight loss/healthy eating/exercise, so this is where I can talk about all that stuff and not bore the pants off anyone. My friends here know what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and are SO supportive. I love having my own cheerleading squad.

    And I love being able to support them, too. Gives me a boost, really, to have things in common with people and to help them the way they help me.
  • thetrishwarp
    thetrishwarp Posts: 838 Member
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    None of my real-life friends are on here. And none of my real-life friends understand my weight loss journey. So there ya go.
  • rmjj5
    rmjj5 Posts: 55
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    I have a few "real" friends and have added "cyber" friends that have similar goals. I have not experienced any cons with adding friends, everyone is very encouraging and suporrtive.
  • Ajbays10
    Ajbays10 Posts: 39 Member
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    I dont have any "real friends" on here, i just have my "cyber friends" I cant think of any cons they help motivate me, they are 100 % all about me losing weight, most of my "real friends" dont know anything about me doing this it helps to have the support system!
  • alliecore
    alliecore Posts: 446 Member
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    I have 200+ real-life "friends" on facebook......around 65 friends here on MFP, and only like 2 or 3 of them are "real life". I get WAY more support and love here than I do on FB. If I post something about my fitness journey there, it gets no response. Here....gosh, these guys are amazing! I would NEVER be where I am if it weren't for their support. They are incredible. Try it...you won't regret it! :)
  • scattymum1
    scattymum1 Posts: 12
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    Hi
    I have been on for a couple of months and found when I first asked for pals I was inundated, which was lovely but impossible to maintain! Also not convinced all of those asking to be my friend were entirely really into My Fitness Pal! I picked a few friends, mostly the ones with nice photos...might seem shallow... as some seemed a little "sleazy". I think I may get in trouble for posting this though!!:laugh: The people I chat with now are fab and great motivators all round....I hope you find some too because they are invaluable. Good luck.
  • SpaceMarkus
    SpaceMarkus Posts: 651
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    I like to add new people every day. Rather than just add a ton of friends, though, I only add people who I reply to in a post or talk to via message. I like to build relationships to help people succeed, not just build my friend bank :)
  • MamaMonkey
    MamaMonkey Posts: 22
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    I'd add as many people as you can. You need support and I can tell you, you'll get support on here for sure! If you find some people annoying or just plain don't want them on, unfriend them, that easy.
  • dayzeerock
    dayzeerock Posts: 918 Member
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    I'm a real nasty beeyatch in real life, so these are the only friends I have, haha.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    So, I'm really new here and I was hoping to find out if anyone has comments about adding cyber "friends". I can't decide if I'd like to keep it to just my real friends, or if I should be more open to adding cyber "friends". I can understand some of the pros, like having folks to motivate you and to share tips with, I'm really kind of looking for any of the cons that you have come across. Thanks in advance.

    When I joined MFP, I kept it private and didn't make any friends. I just used it to log my food and exercise. After awhile, I started leaving a comment or two in the forums. Then one day, someone sent me a friend request and I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. But I added them along with a few others. Now I have a great support network of cyber friends who are supportive, encouraging, inspiring and motivational! It is truly amazing how wonderful the people are on MFP.

    There are only a couple people I have either removed or blocked because of some creepy messages I received. But they are fairly rare and I would worry about it too much. Just block them if you run across any requests that you feel uncomfortable with.

    Good luck! MFP is a great tool to help achieve a healthier lifestyle. But I believe it is the community of awesome people that make this site work!
  • JNettie73
    JNettie73 Posts: 1,208 Member
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    I am a big facebooker. I play all those silly and annoying games such as Frontierville. For the games I began to add "cyber friends". One huge con of adding people you don't know is you really don't know them. It has always been a concern of mine that they had access to certain information about me. Keeping that in mind, take comfort in knowing you can control the information that others see. If you add "cyber friends" be smart about it. Only add someone if you feel comfortable doing so. If you get a bad feeling at all, by all means stay clear of them. Also be smart about what information you choose to share. IE: I don't advise giving out where you live, phone number or anything like that.

    With that being said, "cyber friends" on MFP can give you that extra support that you need in your moments of weakness. You may find they are more supportive than your real life friends because they actually can relate with you and know what you are going through first hand!

    Welcome to MFP and much luck to you on your journey to a healthy you! :flowerforyou:
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
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    I like to try to comment to or correspond with all of my friends (not all of the time, I do have a job), but when I can, as much as I can, so the one con I can think of is if there are too many friends, it can become overwhelming....But, I have seen on some people's pages that they only accept friend requests with a picture and a message to help limit it to people who have similar goals and are serious about support rather than collecting friends.
  • kaimi2011
    kaimi2011 Posts: 141 Member
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    I dont have any "real friends" on here, i just have my "cyber friends" I cant think of any cons they help motivate me, they are 100 % all about me losing weight, most of my "real friends" dont know anything about me doing this it helps to have the support system!

    I agree, i just joined and have added friends. If u don't like them; i see there is a button to drop them. ;-)
    almost like FB. lol

    Welcome, i"m new here and u can add me if you'd like. the support here has been amazing and i just joined several days ago. my family would just make snide comments so i don't tell them what boards i'm on. ;-) best of luck in your journey to lose weight.
  • d2footballJRC
    d2footballJRC Posts: 2,684 Member
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    I joined MFP back in Dec. 2010. I didn't do this part of the site, just the calorie counter and I fell off the wagon hard. Since using this site and adding friends it's gave me even more motivation. These people understand what you are going through and working together. It's like a facebook for people who all have the same goals. I don't have many friends on this site but I can tell you the ones I've met so far have been awesome. It's always nice to see someone lift you up for the little things you've done well (Stay within calories, work out, and etc).

    Welcome to MFP! You won't find a better group of people supporting each other anywhere else online. (Trust me I've looked)

    Anyone that needs to lose a lot of weight, feel free to add me. I have a lot to lose and will be around for a long time :-)
  • Gigi_licious
    Gigi_licious Posts: 1,185 Member
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    Nobody in my real life is interested in joining the site, so I went out and made new "cyber friends". I LOVE my MFP friends! They are real people and I relate to each one differently. They all keep me going in different ways. Words can not express how much I love and adore every one of my MFP friends. I'm closer to some than others, but they all mean alot to me! The only con to it is sometimes you accidentally add a rude one, when you do, just delete them as quick as you added them and move on.
  • debswebby
    debswebby Posts: 326
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    Cyber friends can also become real friends. I have many really good friends who I've met through playing games on Facebook and forums that have turned into real friends. I would suggest you be a bit discriminate if you're wary. Accept requests from people you think you would get on with in real life. You will find a great network of people who won't go glassy eyed when you start talking about your diet :smile:
  • MicMar66
    MicMar66 Posts: 186 Member
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    Some of my cyber friends keep me very entertained!! Some are very motivational (thank you) and others are very inspirational. I find that at night, sometimes when I am all alone...I go to this website and read about the antics of all my friends and this keeps me from mindless and needless eating.

    Welcome to MFP.
  • hermanaamber
    hermanaamber Posts: 103 Member
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    I was a little afraid to add MFP friends at first, but after my "real life" friends were unable to keep up I posted a notice for a specific group of ladies. I am s much enjoying having this cyber group. For me it has been a blessing. I've only had to turn down one friend request that didn't feel genuine, but that was easy enough.

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