August 3, 2009
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Subscribing or Friend?
I read a pulse where someone wrote, “I would rather you subscribe than be my ‘friend’. What is the point of that anyway?” Here is her link: Link
Do you think that subscribing shows a greater level of commitment to your site than a friend request?
Comments (93)
I always do both
Yes.
Is there even a difference?
I know of some who accept all friend requests but only subscribe to blogs they really read. For other’s, it’s the other way around.
I will “friend” anyone who asks but I am more selective about who I sub, because I use that as a more personal list of sites to keep up with.
I don’t have any friends
Yes. Subscribing means you want to see my posts on your Subs page. Friending means you want to see the post title in your inbox and decide whether it sounds worthwhile to read it or not.
Yes, definitely….because then it means they’re reading your site.
I can see how some people see sucbsrcibing as a greater level of commitment. Whenever you visit the subscription’s page (depending on timing), you’re pretty much forced to view someone’s blog material. I can honestly tell you right now, I have “xanga friends” whose profiles I have never viewed.
I… really don’t care either way. I always sub people rather than adding them as friends (I have issues and don’t like friend-requesting people), but I don’t care what other people do.
Yeah. I subscribe to pretty much anyone that’s ‘new’ to my subs list. The only ones I add as friends are my actual friend bloggers I’ve been reading for nearly a decade now. And also those who have a friend lock if I reallllly want to read their blog..
I actually don’t see a point to subscribing. I stopped doing it over a month ago and have just added friends since.
Normally if I friend someone, I subscribe to them too.
Yes.
Yes, I think subscribing shows more interest or commitment.
Ok, if someone subscribes to my site, I do regard it as a higher level of commitment than a friend request. Usually.
But if it’s me doing the subscribing or requesting of friendship, a friend request is a higher commitment from me because those people that I send a request to are the people who I don’t mind being able to read my site when I switch back to friend’s lock from time to time. This also means that I am more likely to subscribe to them if they are my friends and I usually read all of the entries of people who I’m subscribed to, so I’d say it’s a definite commitment boost to be my friend.
If i subscribe to somebody I will friend them, but if I friend them I wont necessarily subscribe.
Yes, when you subscribe, you receive their posts in you subs module. With a friend, you don’t, but will still receive recs from them on universal page.
I’m mainly doing both…I dunno…
I do both and there is no system I use to say which is which. I use my “all” inbox for everything, I don’t get any emails from Xanga and I don’t use the “subs” area, so to me it doesn’t matter. I sub to a lot of people, but I don’t make friend requests like crazy. Probably explains why I only have 87 friends, but then having a bad reputation doesn’t hurt.
I subscribe to those I read normally, and only friend request if its someone’s blog, I’m truly interested in.
Yes. I hate when people just “friend” me but never bother to come to my page or even leave one comment before trying to be my friend.
xo
yes, but i’d rather people sub unless i like reading their stuff too. otherwise my inbox is just filled with nonsense i dont want to read
i do both!
I get overwhelmed by the number of ‘friends’ so I manage it with subs.
I’ve noticed that people who sub to me seem to read my blogs more. I’m not sure if it comes up on their list and that is why.
I consider both to be nice, but I guess if somebody is my friend, I’d like them to call me their friend.
..I’ll subscribe only probably later…for now, seeing and meeting these very interesting people, I do both to start…
Well, you’re my friend on Xanga, but lets face it I don’t know you. I subscribe to you and when I’m not working 100 hours a week I read your blogs. I’d like the friends more if they gave me feed back. That’s what I expect from friends. I’d subscribe to someone that just wrote things that interested me but I didn’t really want any feed back. The feed back doesn’t even need to be personal. Make any sense? Or clear as mud. Oh well, it’s my two cents.
@saintvi - that is exactly how I view subscribing too!
I add everyone, but I only subscribe to close friends or people who I love to read.
that’s like, let’s have sex without the strings
Subbing definitely shows more of a commitment.
The people I’m subbed too are OLDDDDDDDschool xangans and probably haven’t posted in years.
i usually just friend people unless i’m really sure i love their writing, or if its a good friend who posts rarely or something. i dont really mean it as anything personal except i dont like getting a ton of email.
subscribing is like you want to check their shit… friends is you really like them i guess, or their site. id rather have a subscription
I add people as friends as a way of looking out for potential subs.
I wish people would both friend AND sub… but it’s always up to them.
I think it’s certainly a better way to ensure that you establish some kind of communication with the person blogging…because when you see their blog posts in your subscriptions, you’re more likely to skim or read them, and then maybe even comment. But if the blogger is just your “friend?” Seriously…who even remembers to look at those regularly?
Yes.
YOu should know that. That’s why you have many more “friends” than subscriptions on xanga.
I think because if someone subscribes to you it shows they like what ur talking about and what ur writting. If ur just add them as a friend it could just mean u want another friend so that u can have more. I would perfer both but if ppl scribed to me I would be happy.
theres no point in the friend thing but i do it anyway. … its xanga’s version of facebook.
I will accept any friend request. But I only subscribe to people. I don’t really care about having a ton of friends who I just add so I can look like I’m popular. I subscribe to people I feel like have something to say.
I’ll friend people I don’t subscribe to…if I don’t want to read their shit.
I think subscribing is much better because it shows you really care about what people have to say as opposed to just having them on your site to make your friend count higher.
It has to do with not wanting a bunch of updates from strangers to show up on the Xanga home page. Basically it is saying, “Hey, you can read me all you want, but I don’t want your lame-o updates.” She should be commended for her honesty or get a few raised eyebrows for snobbery.
I don’t subscribe- except if they’re quote sites. I kinda read everyone equally. :/
New people- Yes. It usually means nothing to friend. I do have one or two people I haven’t subbed to but read religiously. But they are an exception, I’d rather sub. I also don’t like friend requests that mean nothing other than “read ME, comment ME” Leave a comment instead and I’ll check your site.
I prefer people to subscribe. It shows they’re interested in what I’ve got to say. I do accept friend requests, but I don’t really understand the point. Most of these people have never met me, never talk to me and probably don’t care who I am, so why do they add me as a ‘friend’?
Probably, but friending them is fairer, in my opinion. Because they can see your posts too =D
A friend request means you really want to know more about that guy/ get along with him/her. Subscribing means you think he/she is an interesting person. Just like I subscribe to your xanga =)
If someone adds you as a friend they’re probably just trying to get more “friends”, but if they were a true friend they would probably care about your posts and subscribe. If someone subscribes to you it means they think your posts are worth reading
Yes,a sub feels like you are committing.
When people sub and friend me I accept the friends request. Then after I am reading them I forget I’m not subbed,when I realize it I do sub. They get get kind of mad…and say “You’re just NOW subbing?
But…but…I wanna be your friend!!
@radicalramblings - Same here.
Yep, definitely. I’d never just for a friendship without a subscription.
I do both, I wanna make friends too
I very rarely sub to people, I only friend. But maybe that’s because I never check my email haha.
I can read my subs in my mail every morning without going to the site, if I want to
i don’t see the point in friend request.
I do both subscribing and friend requesting.
I do both. But, I prefer subbing over friending. I don’t even see the point of “friends” when a subscription is the same thing only, you have a handy way of reading their posts.
I periodically over through all of my friends and subs and do a little spring cleaning.
I’d rather have a friend then a reader.
I’m guessing that’s just me, though…
Seems to me a reader should have to subscribe for a certain number of weeks before there is even the possibility of becoming friends.
when you subscribe you can read other people’s stuff.
I subscribe and friend…I subscribe to see the posts so I can read them and if I find that it isn’t working out I can easily dump them..no offense . The writing isn’t the usual reason for me to delete them off. I don’t usually have that problem anyways.
So many good writers on here…
I don’t really get the whole friend thing. I remember learning that some xangans only befriend people to get the most friends.
Being a “friend” seems like a bigger commitment than “subscribing.”
You can always “unsubscribe” but there’s this stigma about “un-friending” someone if you find out later that you don’t really like them….!
Man, that sounds weird, doesn’t it? (What an age we live in)
@CelestialTeapot - That’s exactly what I do.
i usually just subscribe, i don’t really understand the whole “friending” concept on a blog site
@AFS90 - by choice?….. OK I sent you a friend request accept it and you will have one friend…
Yes, I think there is a difference in the level of interest in reading everything someone writes.
@echois23 - haha i got 15 friend request because of that comment
@AFS90 - See people round here do care about you! Everyone deserves to have a few friends…. otherwise you can’t irritate your friend list with all those spam PM’s……
I don’t understand the point of “friending” so I just ignore the friend requests [unless they really ARE my friends in real life, then it doesn't feel so pointless] and I currently have 130 friend invites piled up in my inbox.
Yes. I only subscribe to people when I want to read their writing. I’d be friends with lots of people whose blogs I wouldn’t want to read very much.
Personally, I don’t use my subs. I’m not subbed to anyone and I only use my inbox to view my friends. Plus, if someone doesn’t want to me my friend, why should I want to read their site? I actually think it’s kind of creepy if someone only subs me, and doesn’t add me as a friend. It’s like they want to read what I write, but they don’t want to have any actual interaction with me.
@JustaMiniFeverency - I agree, and I’d hope that my friends are also readers!
I love you, Dan. Heart <3
Subbing, to me, means “I like what you have to say and want to keep reading you”…friend requests are basically like; “I think we’d all benefit from our ‘connection’”, to me. Not really as personal, more formal.
I friend more than subscribe because I usually just read everything anyways, but every once in a while I’ll subscribe and if you stop writing for a long period of time then I’ll just stop subscribing and just keep you as a friend.
i usually only friend people ive known for a while, who i feel like are xanga friends. I subscribe to blogs i think are interesting, though i would like to point out that some people get offended by this. They think that viewing their xanga and not leaving comments all the time is creepy and offensive. I think thats bullshit so i just unsubscribe to people like that.
I subscribe if I like your content. I friend you if you request it. The term “friend” seems to lose it’s meaning when random people on the internet who have read one post of yours become your “friend.”
I am subscribed to some people who I have not friended, and friended some people who I am not subscribed to.
Hey I sub to a lot of people because I like reading thier blogs but not to thier friends list. It’s just no big deal.
rather subscribe than friend. friend-ing are only necessary when they have a friend’s lock
yes, i dun have many xanga friends.
Yes indeed it does. I read my subsciptions before I check on my friends pages
Honestly, I don’t really think it matters. You still get the same updates in your inbox either way. I have no preferance.
i seem to have to limit the amount of friends and subscribitions i have..
Yes. Subscribing is indeed more of a commitment. It shows an appreciation for the blog and blogger not just an attempt at gathering more numbers for yourself. After all, once you are friends, your posts show up in their inbox as well, right.
like i said before, when you’re “friends” with someone on xanga, their default image will show with all the other pictures of “friends” and it gets annoying especially if the current category of “friends” all have some sort of relevance.
I hate both :/
yes i guess
I subscribe to people. I actually only friend people after a time or if they are people I could be friends with. I enjoy the ‘ish’ sites and subscribe them but its ludicrous to think of being ‘friends’ with dollarish or tripcrazed.
I subscribe because I am interested in blogs but then I either friend request or delete the subscription depending on the content