Seth Godin's Thoughts on Social Networking

I'd agree with the last part of that, about people not wanting to offend. I've done it myself many times. It's an issue I had with Facebook early on. There was no way to really differentiate my 'friends.' My closest friends had access and were placed on the same level as those who were just mere acquaintances. Facebook has taken steps to help users establish stronger connections with certain groups of people, with their filtered news feeds, and various profile viewing restrictions, but I don't think they emphasize that enough. I will admit, that the features they've implemented have made the service more valuable and meaningful to me, because I can now share media and stay up to date with those I care to do so with, not with those I met at a conference who seemed to have tracked down my profile.

So yah, you can 'friend' someone who's not really your friend on Facebook, but that person can be very easily distanced. And it's probably in Facebook's best interests to focus on allowing users to establish more meaningful connections, rather than just acquiring new users. I've heard lots of radio segments recently about interviewees being subject to a Facebook profile check, and to parents keeping close tabs on their children, which ultimately makes people very image conscious, reluctant to say and share things they would've otherwise said and shared behind closed doors with their friends. So, the way I see it, the more comfortable I am with sharing information with specific groups of people, the more I'll say and share, the more Facebook will understand about the type of person I am, and the more highly targeted I am with respects to adverts.