I kinda agree with Mattie. But there are those people who it's nice to occasionally catch up with but you don't really talk to normally. One thing I really like is the Friends list feature. I separate my actual, relevant, friends from those I don't really care to see all the time. That keeps stuff like my News Feed down to just the things I want and care to see, but still keeps me connected to some old friends.

It's kinda annoying to separate them when you already have a bunch of friends, but I think it's worth it.

Just an idea and it's how I solve the problem.

First off, don't ever be embarrassed to shoot a video like this. Hell I do it sitting in a coffee shop all the time. Second, so glad you did open this up in video form rather than just a blog post.

Now about Facebook. I am one of those you speak of. I recently added you as you were recommended to me by Facebook since we do have a lot of friends in common. And not just that we have Facebook friends in common but actual friends; some actually work at Rev3. In my opinion I think you should use Facebook the way it benefits you the best. How do you want to use it? Perhaps you only want to follow your close friends. Or maybe you do want to open it up to others since you spend a lot of time with your close friends and therefore would already know most of what's going on in their lives.

At first I accepted everyone much like MySpace but recently I have been more selective on who I friend and have even gone back and removed some people that I don't really know. Again, do what makes the most sense to you. There is still MySpace, FriendFeed, and Twitter that can keep you update on so many people.

Vlog on!

I talked about this in a few posts of mine, including "Digital Internet Snobbery". At the time that I wrote that, I was actively adding people on Facebook, Twitter, Pownce, etc and I came to the realization that I was adding a bunch of people that I never really got to know. At the same time, I wasn't finding anyone that I actually KNEW.

As far as facebook, if I have several (which usually means 10+) friends that are friends with someone, I accept that as "proof" that that person is cool, because I trust the judgement of the people who have accepted them. Like Clintus, above, I know he's cool, so if someone adds me, and I see that Clintus is one of their friends, I'm pretty much automatically going to accept it. I don't need to screen the person myself, because someone I believe in has already done that.

That's also "backfired" on me a couple of times. It doesn't help that there are usually several chicks in my avatar with me, haha. I sent someone a friends request the other day, because we had like 33 friends in common, and she sends me a message, going "We have a lot of friends in common, but I'm afraid I don't know you". I replied "There's no need to be afraid... I don't know you either." hahahaha I couldn't possibly have cared ANY LESS if she had added me as a friend, to be number eight hundred and some-odd *yawn*. I was just offering her an opportunity to connect, since a lot of people that I know had already "endorsed" her.

So I say it depends on what you use Facebook for. To me, it's a way to find out when events are going on and see pictures and videos from people's events. I don't use it to keep up with actual friends, so as long as someone's "in the circle" or at least aware of us and what we do, I'm rather likely to accept their friends request or send one to them myself.

I wish women would quit worrying about the makeup all the time. gosh...
You look great without it. Nuff said.

Yes friending people on Facebook is kinda weird when you don't know them. I friended Leo and thought about friending you and other TechTV-ers but didn't do it. Twitter rocks for this. I've actually gotten responses from "web celebs" that way.

Interesting video, I thought that your points were valid, and I see myself doing a similar thing recently with old friends that I knew back in high school or maybe college.
I used to do a podcast or help make/contribute to "SploitCast" maybe it will revive itself one day, but that is another topic.
I am just glad to be a fellow geek, and have been for about 11 + years, and its cool to see my friends Hak5 doing well, and all of my friends in the 757 - Hampton Roads area doing good things. The whole online thing is great, and doing video/audio podcasting, but it is sometimes just nice to be yourself, hang out with friends, or just lookup old ones. Well i guess this will end my rant.

Cheers,
Walcy