Facebook friend request? Or not?

August 29, 2010 4:09 AM

Facebook filter: What's the difference between Confirm and Add As Friend?

Under the "Friend Requests" icon at upper left, I receive 2 different sets of options: Confirm/Ignore and Add as Friend/Ignore.

I believe the "Add As Friend" option indicates that this is not a friend request at all, but rather a suggestion (from FB or an existing friend) that I send that person a friend request. These are very different things.

Until recently, FB provided a "See All Friend Requests" link, and in that list it showed "Suggested by . . . " But it no longer displays that link.

So -- is my belief correct?

(Please, no answers beginning with "I would think . . ."

posted by LonnieK to Human Relations (10 answers total)

Yes. You are correct.
posted by hamandcheese at 4:26 AM on August 29, 2010

I agree.
posted by JtJ at 5:16 AM on August 29, 2010

This was covered in a similar question a few days ago: Is FaceBook now spoofing friend requests?
posted by bcwinters at 5:17 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thx to all. bcwinters' link is helpful, too: The OP in that question lays out the problem perfectly.

Altho it seems some of the answerers are not aware of FB's latest scheme: removing the "See All Friend Requests" list and its distinction between true requests and mere suggestions.
posted by LonnieK at 6:41 AM on August 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

Am I missing something here? When you click on the shadowy icon of two people directly to the right of the Facebook logo in the upper left-hand corner, there's a list of all active friend requests. At the bottom of the tab that comes up, I see "See all friend requests."
posted by theantikitty at 7:01 AM on August 29, 2010

Response by poster: Re theantikitty . . . How odd -- I and at least a couple of other FB I know aren't seeing that anymore -- or the "friend suggested by" notation. See bwinters' link, above.

Maybe FB is testing the waters . . . ?
posted by LonnieK at 7:54 AM on August 29, 2010

It certainly is possible that a site with as large a clientele as Facebook would run two versions in parallel for the sake of testing.
posted by RobotHero at 8:40 AM on August 29, 2010

fwiw - i'm still seeing a separation of friends and suggestions and there's still the difference of real fried requests asking you to "confirm" or "ignore" and friend suggestions asking you to "add a friend" or "ignore". friend suggestions still have the "suggested by" link as well. there is also a link to requests at the bottom of the add a friend button on the upper left. it's a lot easier to see the difference if you have 1 of each in your account.

do you still have requests on the right side bar? where all the mafia wars/farmville/leave me alone already! apps are? on my facebook that has the friends and the suggestions separated.
posted by nadawi at 11:29 AM on August 29, 2010

Response by poster: Aha -- good point nadawi. I do indeed have "friend requests" on the right bar, and a click there shows the "suggested by" distinction. So if I remember to look there, at least, I'll have a workaround.

But one wonders how many people simply click the upper-left icon and consider everything they see there a "request."
posted by LonnieK at 12:20 PM on August 29, 2010

But one wonders how many people simply click the upper-left icon and consider everything they see there a "request."

Uh, yeah. I think I got spoofed or whatever. Only my high school field hockey coach, though. Confirm/suggest/request whatever.
posted by Pax at 5:59 PM on August 29, 2010