📌 FriendRewind Etiquette for New Users (:

Hi new people!! 👋 If you are used to newer platforms, joining a non-algorithmic social media site can come with a learning curve. 

Before sending someone a friend request, please read their profile. People often explain who they want to connect with, what communities they are looking for, and what kinds of interactions they are comfortable with. Sending a request without reading any of that can make it seem like you are adding people randomly or have bad intentions.

It is also best not to send someone a friend request and immediately message them. When there has been no interaction first, it can feel overly familiar and may make people think you are soliciting something, ragebaiting, bullying, or trying to cause trouble.

The usual etiquette is to interact with people through bulletins, forums, blogs, or profile comments before moving into private messages. That gives people a chance to recognize you and get a sense of who you are.

People also tend to use each feature a little differently:

- Bulletins are for daily updates, videos, questions, jokes, and casual posts.

- Blogs are usually for longer thoughts, stories, art, tutorials, reviews, or more personal writing.

- Statuses are for sharing what you are feeling or doing in the moment. Some people also use them as a permanent message on their profile.

These are not strict rules, just common communication norms that make it easier to connect with people respectfully. 🥰  (but to each their own)

@(m)tropy that is such the perfect analogy for how it feels!!! it definitely feels like a personal text from a coworker you just met!

@Størti someone earlier said it best, it's like getting a personal text message from a coworker that you've just met. it feels the same way. but to each their own (: no shade thanks for sharing your perspective 

signalling @Def3ct to pls pin/sticky this v helpful thread xoxo

@(m)tropy yeah, I accept requests all the time, even if they seem to have no common interests. I just vet their profile a bit to make sure they're not a bigot or some such. 

@Størti so why not post the question to their profile? 

@(m)tropy yeah, except that the personal text is trying to send you a fake PayPal transfer and ask for a refund on the overpayment.

oh my God, i wish this post could be pinned somehow. really think can help alot new users.

i had unrestricted web access, but i spent most of my childhood on youtube, flash games, and anime sites.

i had no idea how this kind of network worked. [here.com] isn't the first network of this type i've used, but the first one was actually really confusing,,,

kinda think it's still confusing to me tbh, but i prefer to believe it's the site's layout that's to blame (it's not ugly, i just wish it were customizable lol, i wanna css everything help).

thank you for posting this! im usually completely lost on how to do stuff on sites like this, this is really helpful!

i don't go on sites like this for DMs personally... if you have something you want to tell me, i'd prefer it to be communicated to me through a comment on a blog or my profile. however, if the conversation goes beyond just a simple "hey we like the same thing that's cool" then we can move it to DMs. comments feel a little less personal which makes the whole exchange much less awkward for me, it's a kind of ease in process like i have to get to know you a bit beforehand

p.s. but also not p.s. because it's a whole other comment:

i was thinking of making a FR newbie guide to link to completely new users; it'd go over how to use the site, extended features such as HTML and image embedding, as well as common etiquette and how to ease into interacting with the community. i could also make it into a video so outsiders can get awareness of the site, but i'm also worried it'll bring back the people who treat these kinds of platforms as an aesthetic accessory instead of proper social media. what do you guys think?

Wait is it bad that when i add sum1/they add me i immediately dm "HAIII" i swear im not being creepy i js wanna be friends ToT (obviously i read ppls profile amd if it explicitly says dont dm then i wont) 

Bump

@pluto

Yes, if people could read what we all took time to write, it would be nice.  I have accepted a few requests, then I get instant messages (which I do not mind); however, they get upset when I am not willing to meet up with them? One of them, their profile said they were in Canada....I am in Texas.  We will definitely not be able to hang out in person, and the other was also far away.  So I am not lying about my location being Texas.... Are they lying, or are they just not reading?  Also, one of them was 22....I am old enough to be their mother.