Day 19

A few days ago I spied someone I know from church on Friendster--not the person I wrote about earlier. This is a local person, a person I see virtually every week--a young person, barely past eighteen (she was eighteen days ago and is now apparently nineteen). This is a person who, when Friendster was actually getting used with regularity among my peer set would have been sixteen at the oldest but more like fourteen or thirteen. I was intrigued. Was Friendster finding a home among the youths? You know, now that old peope have invaded Facebook, maybe youths have to find a new spot, so why not return to the first.

I finally got around to looking at the profile today. I'd had some trouble refinding it, and I hadn't clicked on it the first time because part of me wasn't sure I was ready to write, was ready to open this door. But then I figured, why not? So now it's written, the message to her. But her profile, I have to say, was a bit of a disappointment. She had zero friends. None. Zilch. My theories about youths were incorrect. Perhaps one of the most startling things, however, was that, not only was her profile up to date (she moved here within the last year, so I knew she'd been on relatively recently), but it was also new. That's right--new. She joined in 2008. Almost all the profiles I come across from folks here in town were created in 2003, some in 2004--you'd be hard pressed to find anything past 2006.

I figure maybe she's looking to make friends locally. And what a great way to do it, no? Go to Friendster. But unfortunately, she's late--the party is gone. I want her to have friends. I want people to write to her, to Friendster her. Now, I have more reasons to make this site something to believe in, to enjoy again.

But so far, even with all my attempts, I am seeing few gains. Today's numbers are a case in point. Despite all my attempts to communicate, the return numbers are stubbornly holding steady: twenty-one Friendster friends written, two replies; fourteen acquaintances written or added as friends, one reply; five invitations extended, one acceptance; twenty-one strangers written, no replies; three profile views; two added friends.