Who Says Money Can't Buy Friends?

Courtney5000 writes "It looks like some users of popular networking sites such as MySpace and Facebook have stooped so low as to actually pay real money for friends. These friends aren't even real believe it or not. You can apparently choose from a selection of 'models' to leave you customized comments to look like you have friends and are popular online. This is unbelievable!"

I don't need friends...

[Rastignac]

...But I really need good slashdot karma ;)

Based upon the header

[Capt James McCarthy]

I though it was another article on the MS/Novell 'agreement.'

Shhhh!

[tttonyyy]

You can apparently choose from a selection of 'models' to leave you customized comments to look like you have friends and are popular online.

One day the slashdot editors will figure out that we're all bots too, and the game will be over.

For just 5 dollars...

[serialdogma]

For the low price of just 5 USD, you can chose from our selection of highly praised slashdot users (some with only 3-digit UIDs) to friend you, please send payments to [e-mail]

Re:Shhhh!

[jellomizer]

Shhh! this is from the Bots Detection Bot. We don't want you to spread the word that all these posts are from bot. except for one poor sap who is actually reading this.
I shouldn't have said that. But I wasn't programmed with a backspace option.

Re:A treatment for depression?

[BadAnalogyGuy]

I guess I wasn't clear enough. Since we're talking about MySpace users, I meant "I wonder if 'gifting' a friendship in this way could help push over the edge someone who is suicidal."

Re:How is this different

[4solarisinfo]

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."

Join Project Mayhem today!

not that unbelievable

[DreadfulGrape]

People have paid for sex for thousands of years. Pathetic as it may seem, why is it surprising that they'd pay for cyber-friends as well?

Re:A treatment for depression?

[goddidit]

Yes. Please buy me a hooker so I don't kill myself.

Weird Al didn't need to buy friends....

[hoy74]

He had a pimped out myspace because he was white and nerdy though.

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Xyrus]

"This is one reason why many people don't use Myspace. Many of the people on it are pathetic and superficial.

And I will give you may absolute full and undying support....for $19.95.

~X~

What?!?!?!

[ProppaT]

So you mean all those myspace friends requests I keep getting from scantily clad women are really my friends taking sympathy on me and trying to buy me friends? :(

Geez! What's next?

[PsyQo]

Geez! What's next? Paying for live sex on the internet? Oh wait...

Re:I don't need friends...

[Grr]

Finally a chance to turn my mod points into cold hard cash, how much are you offering? ;)

Re:I don't need friends...

[TubeSteak]

YOU could have excellent Karma Today!

Mail me your Username & Password & for only one fee of $10, I'll post under your name until you have better karma.

Just send an e-mail to [e-mail] or we can discuss payment in your journal once you've e-mailed your username:password.

TubeSteak is like V1AGR@ for your Karma

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[daranz]

Benefits of Myspace without being superficial and spammy? You mean about:blank?

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Anonymous Coward]

Mod parent up. Only $5.

Re:A Fictional Situation.

[russ1337]

In real life there Dude B wouldn't care. In all this effort to make yourself seem cool the best you can do is make yourself as part of the crowd. So stop trying to be cool it takes to much effort just try to blend in and you are all set.

If he really wanted to be cool, he would have taken up smoking.

What's the point in that?

[WhitePanther5000]

It's like buying a prostitute that won't put out...

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Anonymous Coward]

/. represents a relatively small, select group of people

Tell that to all who have ever been slashdotted.. ;P

Re:Its not really unbelievable

[Dunbal]

I would imagine a product like this would appeal to people in a vulnerable social setting, like teenagers.

      But teenagers don't have credit cards.

      "Dad, can I borrow your credit card to buy some fake friends for myspace?"

Of course money can buy Friends

[Rik Sweeney]

All 10 seasons are on DVD.

Re:It could be from Japan and not unbelievable

[FlopEJoe]

Ya... it's like this escort service I use where they... err... nevermind.

Re:For just 5 dollars...

[grimJester]

Just to prove you aren't scamming, could you have them mod this post +5 funny? No offense meant, I just want to make sure.

Cash for peerage / friends.

[davro]

Cash for peerage sounds like something Tony Blair would be intrested in.

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Lumpy]

If you are over thirty and have a My Space account you are probably a pedophile.
Yeah right! After looking with my daughter on MySpace, you are telling me that Tony Hawk is a pedophile, Wierd Al Yankovic is a Pedophile and Michael Jackson is a .... Oh wait....

Re:How is this different

[Fred_A]

I'd hang out with anyone called "Donald".

Or "Pluto".

Bots Detection Bot

[Bots Detection Bot]

This is the real Bots Detection Bot, which has user ID 1033846.

Your account has been suspended.

This thread will be deleted.

Re:Isn't this done already?

[foobsr]

It taught leadership & management skills that certainly will become precursors to strong professional lives.

Not to forget business ethics </cynical>

CC.

My world is collapsing around me!

[dangitman]

These friends aren't even real believe it or not. You can apparently choose from a selection of 'models' to leave you customized comments to look like you have friends and are popular online. This is unbelievable!"

Oh my god, that can't possibly be true! People who pretend to be friends? That's unbelievable! In the real world, nobody would ever pretend to be friends with someone, unless they were real true friends for life, who were willing to die for you!

The internet is just evil. Imagine, people basing popularity just on how attractive someone is? It's not normal.

Re:Real friends

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow ... the Dutch have so much wisdom to share.

sneetches

[roaddemon]

So how long before having good looking friends is perceived as fake, and people start buying ugly friends? Slashdot. I just made you a fortune.

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Damastus the WizLiz]

Next up. Slashdot sells Mod points.

Re:I Use it

[AugustZephyr]

You mean where you met your $0.99 model from fakemyspace.com

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[An ominous Cow art]

Seems to me there's a business model in there somewhere. All you need is a Step 2).

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Anonymous Coward]

There are a huge number of people on MySpace, and pigeonholing them in the way you have is akin to a MySpacer saying "Slashdot? That's popular with pale-skinned computer geeks that have no friends, no life, and no social skills. They live in their moms basement at age 35 and consider their computer operating system a defining characteristic of their very existence"

So? MacOS Rulez! And I prefer to think of it as Mom living in my attic.

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[DesertWolf0132]

I'm with you. Most of my non-geek friends are on MySpace so I created an account to keep up with them. My 10 year reunion was organized through MySpace. But every time I pull up a profile my inner web designer dies a little. I use Flashblock to prevent the music from assaulting the ears but these fonts set to 50% opacity over a background of similar color make me want to stab out my own eyes. I have to select the text just to read it and that makes me hurt on so many levels. Why, ye internet Gods, why? Next they will be setting their font to 3px, opacity to 25, with color at #010101 using a background color of #000000. That is when I start hunting Tom with an elephant gun for allowing this.

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[SeaFox]

But what social networks do folks here use?

What is this "social network" you speak of?
Do I have to own a Zune to use it?

Re:And how many here use myspace?

[Anonymous Coward]

There are a huge number of people on MySpace, and pigeonholing them in the way you have is akin to a MySpacer saying "Slashdot? That's popular with pale-skinned computer geeks that have no friends, no life, and no social skills. They live in their moms basement at age 35 and consider their computer operating system a defining characteristic of their very existence"

That's a rubbish stereotype. I'm 33.

Re:It could be from Japan and not unbelievable

[ceoyoyo]

I know a guy who's fond of saying it's cheaper to rent women than to own your own. He mostly mentions that when female friends are around though.

What?!?!

[tapehands]

So those really hot triplets (how else can they all have the same picture?) that keep sending me the same message over, and over, and over on myspace are just bots?!?!
MY LIFE IS RUINED!!!!!