ClickZ: What Are Friends For?

ClickZ editor and social networking butterfly Rebecca Lieb runs down the ever-growing list of social networking applications. As a connected journalist, she gives the scoop from behind the exclusive "velvet ropes" that give the new networks a sense of faddish appeal.

Online oldtimers have been inundated in recent weeks with invitations to join the increasing number of services. They often face the problem of not wanting to spread their networking activities too thinly across different platforms, yet also not wanting to seem unsocial by declining an invitation. Many are signing up to the new services just to affirm a friend's kind thought.