Friends from home

By Sara Lin
Advertiser Staff Writer

Photo Illustrations by Ken Rickard • The Honolulu Advertiser About Friendster Friendster is online as a "beta" or test version. There is no cost to join, and the site is accessible to PC and Mac users. As the site develops, its inventors may upgrade the service or change the terms of membership. How does it work? Prospective members are invited via e-mail by a friend who's already on board. Once the new member responds to the invitation by following an online link, he or she can browse the friend's friend network. Members create their own profiles, listing their interests, favorite books, music and TV shows, and detailing what kind of "friends" they're looking for. They can post up to five pictures of themselves. Although members are asked not to post nudity, pictures of pets or of children, a perusal of the site last weekend showed that some members had violated the rules the site posts. If you see a profile or photo of a member who captures your interest, you can e-mail them, send a direct invitation to link up as a "friend", or ask one of your friends to set up an introduction. You can also bookmark a profile to keep an eye on that member's postings and testimonials. Members can also post messages to the group on a bulletin board, send e-vites to parties and events, or e-mail friends who haven't joined Friendster yet. The more the merrier. Check out two parody sites: Enemyster and Fiendster. Other sites: Ryze.org and LinkedIn.com help people swap business contracts. Ringo, Tribe.net, Sona and Ecademy also let you link to others with common interests.

Fukuhara's initial reaction was to pass the invitation off as another Internet scheme, little more than junk mail.

But soon more e-vites came. Then word spread of a hip new Internet fad growing at DSL speed that offers people a chance to meet new friends without going through a dating service, and still have references — of sorts.

Fukuhara, 20, of 'Aiea, finally accepted one of her e-vites in May. Three months later, she says she's browsing the network once or twice a day, whenever she checks her e-mail.

Though she doesn't plan to date guys she finds on Friendster, people have clicked on Fukuhara's profile and left her notes saying that they were interested in being friends.

"But I haven't really written them back," she said.

It won't be surprising if she does, though. Friendster.com is becoming a global trend.

Friendster.com is an online service that connects friends and broadcasts members' interests, whether that's in making dates, meeting new people or finding "activity partners." Hot for months in New York and Los Angeles, it is becoming the latest obsession for Internet junkies in Hawai'i and boasts members with plenty of friends, including Russell Tanoue of the Ocean Club's Electric Piranha Room fame and "Hawai'i's Bachelor" Kelly Komoda.

"It's a good way to meet people. You can at least see how you're connected to that person," Fukuhara said. "It's not some weirdo. You can always talk to your friend about that person. ... It's like having references."

How does it work? You get an "e-vite" from a friend, and after signing up, you're connected to your friend, your friend's friends, and your friend's friends' friends. All of these members comprise a user's "personal network."

Users can browse the members within their personal networks and view thumbnail pictures of their friends and possible friends. If a photo looks interesting, click on it to read a full profile.

Interested enough to start a conversation? Send an e-mail, transferred via Friendster, or simply ask, "Will you be my friend?" Like rabbits, see your personal network multiply.

One user saw her network grow from 4,742 members to more than 64,000 members in eight days.

"I'm not a very big computer head. I just tried it and it's so addicting," said Aaron Martin, 26, of Kane'ohe. "It's way better than e-mail because you get pictures."

A completely Web-based network, Friendster has been running since March and already boasts one million users — far more than its creators anticipated, which explains why its system is often overloaded or unavailable.

Why the instant appeal?

It's not a singles bar. It doesn't require that you leave your home.

It doesn't introduce you to anyone unless you've asked it to. Although many use the Friendster network to screen potential dates, a conspicuous lack of cupids and hearts helps the network keeps its casual feel — and that is a large part of its appeal.

Friendster's fans keep recommending it for the same reason they signed friends onto Napster: More members means there's more to trade.

Flamboyant friends

Friendster members post profiles that include their interests, favorite books, TV shows and movies. Members can click on these listings — say, "pulp fiction," and the service will list others in their personal networks who have the same interest. The profiles also give more creative members an outlet to post flamboyant descriptions of themselves, and they're a key reason to browse through an extended network — and to keep seeking to add more friends.

Martin, an artist and a member of a rock band, said Friendster put him in touch with other independent artists who sew, paint and sculpt as he does.

"Say someone inspires you or they do something ... it pushes you to extend your own talent," he said.

If a fellow member inspires sufficiently, you can post a testimonial to their attributes.

Testimonials provide another incentive to snoop through the profiles — to see what your friends have written about their friends, and vice versa.

Testimonials are posted with profiles for everyone to see.

"It's cool because you actually find out what people think about you," Martin said.

Of course, it's all usually positive stuff. After all, this is Friendster, not Fiendster.

Fad factor

Paul Bajcar has turned down invitation after invitation to join Friendster. He's heard his friends talking about it nonstop for weeks.

"I don't want to spend that much time on the computer," said Bajcar, 27, of 'Ewa Beach. "I think for them it's just something to do at work. They're bored."

Others have already sniffed out the trend and moved on.

"It's a fad; it'll pass," said Chris Claxton, 25, of Honolulu. "In reality, you can become less connected to people. You'll message them on Friendster instead of calling."

But Friendster fans point out that posting one note on Friendster's bulletin board sure beats calling 10 cell-phone numbers to get friends together for drinks or a concert.

Still, there's a difference between using the Internet as a tool to gather existing friends and using it to make new ones.

"So much of life is already automated," said Hewitt Pratt, 31. "I don't need to digitize my friendships and personal life."