The Queen of Weak Ties
I finally broke down and set up a Facebook page. One of the friends I invited was Joel Garreau, who concidentally enough published an article in Saturday's WaPost on the very subject now weighing on my mind: the expanded, and sometimes awkward, definition of friendship in the era of social networking sites.
By the definitions Joel suggests at the end of the piece, I can't say I have many friends--certainly nobody I'd ask to drive me to the airport. Facebook may suit me, however, since I am, as Professor Postrel says, the Queen of Weak Ties. (See this article for what that means.) But should I let all my weak ties, or the weak ties of my weak ties, be Facebook friends?