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Who Says Money Can't Buy Friends? 345

Posted by samzenpus from the beyond-pathetic dept.
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!"
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Who Says Money Can't Buy Friends? More

Who Says Money Can't Buy Friends?

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

    • Re:And how many here use myspace? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Salvance ( 1014001 ) * on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:49AM (#17047492) Homepage Journal
      /. represents a relatively small, select group of people ... not at all indicative of the masses. MySpace and Facebook are hugely popular with the general population, and in particular with high schoolers and college kids. Most adults would consider this large segment of the population "superficial", so it stands to reason that a good social networking site would mirror its userbase's traits.

      But what social networks do folks here use? Is there a good one that offers the benefits of a Facebook or Myspace, while being less superficial and spammy?

      • Re:And how many here use myspace? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by lpcustom ( 579886 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:06AM (#17047628)
        This is our social network. Most of us, I would say, also use this old technology called IRC. To tell the truth. I'd rather talk to an eggdrop bot with a megahal script on IRC than to most of the real people on myspace.

      • Re:And how many here use myspace? (Score:5, Funny)

        by daranz ( 914716 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:07AM (#17047630)
        Benefits of Myspace without being superficial and spammy? You mean about:blank?

      • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

        by hnile_jablko ( 862946 )
        I dont know of any good social network site technically. A lot of /.ers like to criticise the status quo as much as possible so myspace is a frequent target. Now it is true, that myspace technically blows goats. And it is also true there are parasites of all sorts out there looking to make money or probe other people on myspace (this is true of the real world as well). But there is also security to keep these people away from you.Basically I use it because all my non-geek/non-nerd friends can use the si

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by lpcustom ( 579886 )
          I'm not sure you are correct when you say /.ers like to criticise the status quo, especially as it relates to social network sites like myspace. It's not like we are sitting around waiting on something to become popular so we can talk shit about it. For me personally, I just don't get myspace. I don't understand it's popularity at all. The only thing it proves to me is that a large majority of people are stupid. I mean, if it's about having a personal web page, what ever happened to angelfire and geocities

          • I'm with you. I hesitate to criticize it because many people I like in real life communicate through it. Many geeks meet on IRC or gaming sites.

            Here's my case for buying fake friends on MySpace:

            Employers are looking at it!! Lie. Make yourself look awesome. You've signed no contract that your myspace page is accurate. If employers look at it to decide who not to hire, then there's an equal chance that if they see something really impressive, it'll work on your side.

            Other things you can do:

            • Put fa
      • I use a social network that I call 'my life'.

        On the computer my social networking is probably limited to playing Counter-Strike.

        Actually, only kidding, I have a deviantArt account, but I got that for somewhere to put my pictures online somewhere where I could get critique on my photos, and show that I could show them to my real friends, not really for making new friends. In fact I just find it a hassle trying to keep up with people on sites like deviantArt - even though I met my girlfriend there ;)

      • Re:And how many here use myspace? (Score:4, Funny)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:15AM (#17047694)
        /. represents a relatively small, select group of people
        Tell that to all who have ever been slashdotted.. ;P

      • Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)

        by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:37AM (#17047926)
        Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Re:And how many here use myspace? (Score:4, Funny)

        by SeaFox ( 739806 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @12:05PM (#17050036)
        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? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Xyrus ( 755017 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:56AM (#17047546) Journal
      "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~

  • I don't need friends... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rastignac ( 1014569 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:41AM (#17047396)
    ...But I really need good slashdot karma ;)

  • How is this different (Score:4, Insightful)

    by El Lobo ( 994537 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:41AM (#17047412)
    How is it different from the "real life"? You are what you dress. You are what you consume. You are what you friends are. Unfortunatly in these days for many people you exist only in the eyes of the others. When other people stop looking and "admiring" you, you don't exist anymore.
    So you are buying a new car today yop say? Do you **really** need it?

  • It could be from Japan and not unbelievable (Score:3, Interesting)

    by slaida1 ( 412260 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:42AM (#17047420)
    All kinds of fake friend services are common. Nothing special there.

    • Re:It could be from Japan and not unbelievable (Score:5, Funny)

      by FlopEJoe ( 784551 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:36AM (#17047918)
      Ya... it's like this escort service I use where they... err... nevermind.

      • Re:It could be from Japan and not unbelievable (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Morphine007 ( 207082 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:49AM (#17048082)
        It's actually kinda funny; I've heard stories from a couple of people I work with who all know this one guy, let's call him Bob. Bob is military, and, like most military guys who love their job, doesn't have much time for women. So Bob hires a hooker once a week... it's the same hooker each time, she comes over after work and leaves in the morning. Bob pays her a bit extra to bring beer and pizza with her. The guy apparently always has a smile on his face and claims that it's cheaper than being married to a non-working housewife.... especially when you factor in that most people who know Bob personally are also military and have at least one divorce each under their belts. So paying for "friendship" isn't always as stupid as it sounds... some people just don't have time to forge the bonds that make the rest of us human... that doesn't mean they shouldn't have access to them.

  • Based upon the header (Score:5, Funny)

    by Capt James McCarthy ( 860294 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:43AM (#17047428) Journal
    I though it was another article on the MS/Novell 'agreement.'

  • Shhhh! (Score:5, Funny)

    by tttonyyy ( 726776 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:43AM (#17047430) Homepage Journal
    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... (Score:5, Funny)

    by serialdogma ( 883470 ) <black0hole@gmail.com> on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:44AM (#17047438)
    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 Ihavenofriends@slashdot.org

  • Isn't this done already? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by boatofcar ( 884925 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:44AM (#17047446)
    ...America's fraternities and sororities were unavailable for comment.

    • Re:Isn't this done already? (Score:4, Informative)

      by timtwobuck ( 833954 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:56AM (#17047550)
      As a disclaimer, the parent was most likely a joke, but I feel the need to interject because comments like this really piss me off...

      As someone that pledged & joined a fraternity during my undergrad I take offense to your comments. I met many life long friends, and solidified many other relationships inside this organization. It taught leadership & management skills that certainly will become precursors to strong professional lives.

      It is the habit of many people to comment on things they know nothing about; the popular saying is that people in fraternities and sororities really do pay for their friends. In reality, dues are paid to ensure that the organization can continue to function and remain an avenue for people to experience & meet new people, whom they traditionally would not have met.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Dunbal ( 464142 )
        an avenue for people to experience & meet new people, whom they traditionally would not have met.

              (Emphasis mine)

              Why, are members of a frat/sorority prohibited from making friends with non members?

        • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

          by timtwobuck ( 833954 )
          You're interpreting what I said incorrectly. Just by saying they traditionally would not have met doesn't mean they are forbidden. Without my fraternity, there are many people I would never have met because we were not involved in the same activies or the same circle of friends. Hence, my chances of meeting them and becoming friends was drastically lowered.

        • They aren't (Score:3, Informative)

          by tacokill ( 531275 )
          Nobody is prohibited from making friends with non-members. Not a single fraternity or sorority espouses that thinking. Despite what you seem to think, the "greek community" on most college campuses has lots of inter-mixing of people. After all, it's a college campus, right? And those people represent the same variety that the college represents. The old days of "Biff and Buffy" a la Revenge of the Nerds are long over and in fact, I doubt they ever existed in the first place.

          Jeez - get a grip! A f

      • It is the habit of many people to comment on things they know nothing about; the popular saying is that people in fraternities and sororities really do pay for their friends. In reality, dues are paid to ensure that the organization can continue to function and remain an avenue for people to experience & meet new people, whom they traditionally would not have met.

        So, basically, what you're saying is.. the underlying principal of your comment.. the very essence of the thing that you said just a moment ago... is that.. when you really get down to it.. some people really do pay for their friends?

      • Lesson: Don't admit you were in a frat unless you're around a bunch of other people that were in frats. These days most people, although they are too polite to say anything about it, look down on frats/sororities.

        Know the social group you're in. Middle/upper management is probably a good place to advertise that. Slashdot is about the worst place. Look at us, half of us probably beat off to Revenge of the Nerds. Now get outta here before someone starts taunting you with Monty Python quotes.

  • Unbelievable? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by jlower ( 174474 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:46AM (#17047456) Homepage
    This is unbelievable!

    On the contrary, I'd say it was inevitable.

  • What's wrong with that? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Groo Wanderer ( 180806 ) <{charlie} {at} {semiaccurate.com}> on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:46AM (#17047458) Homepage
    Teh weB2.0 is teh rox0r. It just goes to show the power of Web2.0 and it's ability to democratize formerly abstract concepts like friendship, then monetize them. What more can you ask for, you can already buy love in several US states and countries around the world.

            -Charlie

    P.S. /. strips sarcasm tags. For the terminally holier-than-thou set, the above was indeed sarcasm.

  • Normal? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tsa ( 15680 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:46AM (#17047462) Homepage
    Fake your Space says (and I quote): "We understand that you want your friends to look as normal as possible and as far from fake as possible. I looked around in the Women and Men section, and I didn't see one normal looking person. Check out Molly for instance.

    This website is a nice prank.

  • Yes it can. (Score:5, Informative)

    by mgblst ( 80109 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:48AM (#17047468) Homepage
    has anybody actually said that money can't buy you friends? I thought we all agreed that it can't buy you love, or happiness, but friends was still wide open. There was always one little rich kid at school who proved that you could, in fact, buy friends.
    • You can't really buy friends until Apple sells them

      The iFriends.
    • I was friends with a kid on my street solely because he has the Death Star toy. It was sweet, fully equipped with a moveable wall for the trash compactor.

      I grew out of being so materialistic.
    • That, of course, depends on your definition of "friend".

      PS: Did you really need this answer to realize it?
    • has anybody actually said that money can't buy you friends? I thought we all agreed that it can't buy you love, or happiness, but friends was still wide open. There was always one little rich kid at school who proved that you could, in fact, buy friends.

      There is an old saying, "Money and success brings you many friends. Adversity tests them."

      With regards to the original article, I like this one "A fool and his money are soon parted."

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mwvdlee ( 775178 )
      Bill Gates has a wife, so that just leaves "happiness".

    • No....you rent them.... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by StressGuy ( 472374 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @11:07AM (#17049194)
      when the money stops flowing...those "friends" go away.

  • not that unbelievable (Score:5, Funny)

    by DreadfulGrape ( 398188 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:49AM (#17047488)
    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?
    • It is similar only on the surface.
      Most people using professional sex services do this to try to fullfil physical needs because they have no better way available to do so, some because of their lonelyness, other because their official relation is now just a sad joke. Yes, it is pathetic, but it is something I can understand.
      This service, on the other hand, is pointless unless you actually have friends to impress in the first place, so it is just similar to what ringtones vendors or gold farmers can sell you:
    • Because as we all know, the money would be a lot better spent on sex..

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by misanthrope101 ( 253915 )
      If I really have to explain why paying for a blowjob from a live girl (dead girls aren't any good, though I guess they're cheaper) is different from paying for fake friends on a website intended to impress people you'll never meet are not even closely related, then something is really wrong here.

  • New Slogan (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PeeAitchPee ( 712652 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:50AM (#17047502)

    "Fake Your Space -- A Place For Posers"


    Seriously, how is this different than gamers buying virtual goods with real-life money?

  • Weird Al didn't need to buy friends.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by hoy74 ( 1005419 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:55AM (#17047542)
    He had a pimped out myspace because he was white and nerdy though.

  • A Fictional Situation. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by jellomizer ( 103300 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:57AM (#17047556)
    A Fictional Situation.
    Location a 8th Grade class in a computer room.
    Dude B: Dude, you have no friends you are a complete loser!
    Dude A: No way I have ton a friends let me show you.
    (Dude A opens his MySpace Page)
    Dude A: See all the friends I have!
    Dude B: Oh I See I guess you are cool after All.

    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.

  • What?!?!?! (Score:4, Funny)

    by ProppaT ( 557551 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @08:58AM (#17047564) Homepage
    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? :(

  • What's the point in that? (Score:3, Funny)

    by WhitePanther5000 ( 766529 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:12AM (#17047676)
    It's like buying a prostitute that won't put out...

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Bob_Villa ( 926342 )
      I get it, you mean a wife.

      And for any guy on here actually engaged, remember this:

      If you put a quarter in a jar every time you have sex before marriage, and then take one out every time you have sex after marriage,
      you will never empty the jar, no matter how long you are married.

      Oh, how true it is!
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Of course money can buy Friends (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rik Sweeney ( 471717 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:27AM (#17047806) Homepage
    All 10 seasons are on DVD.
  • You know you're a loser when you stoop to doing something like this.

  • Cash for peerage / friends. (Score:3, Funny)

    by davro ( 539320 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @09:45AM (#17048024) Homepage
    Cash for peerage sounds like something Tony Blair would be intrested in.

  • My world is collapsing around me! (Score:5, Funny)

    by dangitman ( 862676 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @10:06AM (#17048290)
    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: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Tryptch ( 197854 )
      On a slight tangent you can always to go http://www.imaginarygirlfriends.com/ [imaginarygirlfriends.com] maybe they can extend their business line to include social network interactions and yes people do pay for this service... at least i'm guessing... uh yea!!

  • sneetches (Score:5, Funny)

    by roaddemon ( 666475 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @10:20AM (#17048500)
    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.

  • Good Question (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mqduck ( 232646 ) <(ten.kcudqm) (ta) (kcudqm)> on Thursday November 30, 2006 @10:57AM (#17049030)
    Who Says Money Can't Buy Friends?


    Actually, that's a good question. I don't recall ever hearing someone say that.

  • Check the whois records (Score:5, Interesting)

    by chundo ( 587998 ) <(jeremy) (at) (jongsma.org)> on Thursday November 30, 2006 @11:33AM (#17049592)
    Looks like slashdot has been duped for free advertising again. The submitter's domain (sandiegointeractive.com) and the fakeyourspace.com domain are registered to the same person.

  • This here is one of them joke sites (Score:5, Informative)

    by qazwart ( 261667 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @11:35AM (#17049620) Homepage
    This is a joke site put out by Brant Walker . He's a photographer, video artist, and web designer from San Diego. Check out who owns the domain name.

    Either that, or Brant is getting a bit hard up for money.

  • Myspace is also for marketing (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gary gunrack ( 956165 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @12:36PM (#17050564) Homepage
    If you're a musician or band trying to build a grassroots audience, Myspace has become almost indespensible. Thank god the bass-player actually likes myspace, and is willing to maintain the band's account. Thanks to him, we actually managed to attract an audience the first time we played in towns like Boston or NYC, away from our own turf. I'm guessing that FakeSpace is actually geared towards spammy-marketers, not insecure teenagers. If you were marketing to superficial people, the appearance of popularity would make a big difference.

  • Money still can't buy friends (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Kuvter ( 882697 ) on Thursday November 30, 2006 @12:46PM (#17050748) Homepage
    This is just buying the illusion that you have them.

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