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     Recently I was cruising around the internet super highway, otherwise known as the World Wide Web, when I suddenly stumbled into the facebook police upon entering my home page. I soon realized that facebook had issued a cease and desist order for using the friend request button on too many occasions where I didn’t personally know these individuals outside of facebook.

     Alright let me be honest here, and admit, that I really didn’t know the people I was friending on a personal level. But this kind of leaves me wondering just what social media is if you can’t go out and meet and socially interact with other people in this manner? I have used facebook and other similar sites to make friends with people from all walks of life from all around the world which is what I thought this was all about in the first place, am I wrong in this assumption?

     In my opinion, I feel that I had a very good reason to make the requests that I was making to the people that I was making them too, we all belong to the same exclusive club in that, we all suffer from the debilitating disease called Multiple Sclerosis. And anyone who shares the MS experience with me, I consider a friend, no matter if I have met them personally or not. When I say, “I feel your pain!” to anyone in this group they know I literally mean it! And that brings a little bit of peace and understanding to all of us who share this unfortunate autoimmune disorder.

     Many years ago I was told that if you don’t have a solution to the problem you’re complaining about then it’s just whining. And so, here is what I would like to suggest to facebook as my solution, please add a second option like a, consider request, where the person can accept you as a friend or just ignore your request and after, let’s say 48 hours, the request would just automatically drop off of their page. That way no ones feelings get hurt but still leaves the door open for people to make new and lasting friends with others from around the world.

     Finally, just so everyone knows, you can friend me no matter who you are and I will accept your request, and if someday we end up having a difference of opinion, that’s ok because we would never have had the chance to find a solution if we were never allowed to meet in the first place. And to me, that is what social media is all about. Friend me all you want, and if you choose to unfriend me in the future, that’s ok too!

Bill Walker