To the editor:
It was with mixed feeling that I saw Nicole Sugerman’s wonderful article on Friendster on the same day that the Friendster powers-that-be deleted the Wesleyan profile I had nurtured and through which more than 400 current students had linked.
As “Wesleyan University” (using the pseudonym “boon tan” in honor of the legendary no-show frosh from the ’80s), I felt great about being able to bring together students from Pine Street to Pearl Street. And the “WesAlum Alum” profile has grown to more than 375 former Cardinals in just three weeks, bringing together alumni from Brooklyn to Tokyo.
But alas, the Friendster terms of service forbid any profile that doesn’t represent the individual who owns it, so today, they suspended the Wesleyan account. They had previously deleted my profile for the band Pavement, through which 60 fans had linked. I fear—know—that WesAlum Alum is next.
Of course, deleting the Wesleyan profile is an absurd decision by Friendster. Universities are a natural focus for linkages, and the only other way to find other Wes folks on Friendster is to list Wesleyan as an “Interest” or maybe a “Favorite Movie.” Friendster, you see, has a
policy of deleting “fakesters,” many of which are profiles for celebrities, concepts, or sports teams, in other words, profiles that won’t contribute to a fee-based dating site. But in their single-minded drive, Friendster is killing the real golden goose, the desire we hold to see how we all link together. There’s a real profit model being wasted
there.
We can change things, however; I believe in the power of individuals to change the decisions of organizations. As someone who’s picketed major corporations and now works at one, I understand that someone who stands
outside ChevronTexaco headquarters screaming epithets will get nowhere. The person who can really change ChevronTexaco is the one who buys a lot of petroleum.
Well, we are, after all, the *customers* of Friendster, and Friendster is a start-up company in a highly volatile new business. If you want to see Wesleyan come back to Friendster, as well as the other universities and other interests that truly link people, please send a respectful, well-reasoned, non-insulting, constructive email to feedback@friendster.com, and also let them know you want your Wesleyan back. (The email address for the profile is—was—seamus@rangelife.com.)
Friendster is totally entertaining and occasionally touching concept. The guy who developed it to get dates for himself just needs a little help figuring out what he’s got.
Yours truly,
Eric “Rick” Meyerson ’95
a.k.a. “boon tan”
Argus editor-in-chief, fall ’93
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