Orkut has a new “feature” that lets you define gradations of friendship. But who’s going to keep this up to date as relationships evolve?
The Orkut friendship gamut runs as follows: haven’t met; acquaintance; friend; good friend; best friend.
So, when I spend more time getting to know acquaintances at SXSW, am I going to upgrade those “aquaintances” to “friends”? After a particularly loyal action or intimate conversation, am I going to upgrade a “friend” to “good friend.”
What about downgrading? What amount of distance merits downgrading a “best friend” to a “good friend.”
Orkut started as a fun friend-collecting game, but this new friend-grading scheme is pretty pointless.
The joys of friendship are in the nuances, the facets of play and affection and trust that build and transform relationships over time.