People with FB pages that look like crap because they've added too many application or have trouble managing too many friends only have themselves to blame. Facebook works, and works brilliantly, if you apply some common, real-life sense to your participation. As Dan mentions above, ignore and delete all the ridiculous applications. Like in music, art, etc, you've got to wade through, or avoid, lots of crap to find the real gems (gems that would not have happened had FB not opened things up).

With FB friends I've got a rule that I need to have met/interacted with the person two separate times before I approve, so my network has some base in reality (virtual meetings count, I know some people quite well but have not met in the flesh). It limits the one-off meetings where you're stuck with somebody you'll never interact with again (some exception apply sure). I've got a few dozen people who have requested friendship that I haven't replied to or approved because I either have never met them or i met them once or I knew them in highschool 15 years ago. That doesn't make me popular (though maybe an asshole), but you've got to be a little rigorous to make it work.

If facebook doesn't work for nerds, that's fine, it works for everybody else. And I second Dan's “elitist nerd” comment above. No different than an insufferable indie rock fan who moves on to the newest ironic crap-in-a-cardigan band before anybody else does, and tells you all about it. It's all Ben Mulroney.

People with FB pages that look like crap because they’ve added too many application or have trouble managing too many friends only have themselves to blame. Facebook works, and works brilliantly, if you apply some common, real-life sense to your participation. As Dan mentions above, ignore and delete all the ridiculous applications. Like in music, art, etc, you’ve got to wade through, or avoid, lots of crap to find the real gems (gems that would not have happened had FB not opened things up).

With FB friends I’ve got a rule that I need to have met/interacted with the person two separate times before I approve, so my network has some base in reality (virtual meetings count, I know some people quite well but have not met in the flesh). It limits the one-off meetings where you’re stuck with somebody you’ll never interact with again (some exception apply sure). I’ve got a few dozen people who have requested friendship that I haven’t replied to or approved because I either have never met them or i met them once or I knew them in highschool 15 years ago. That doesn’t make me popular (though maybe an asshole), but you’ve got to be a little rigorous to make it work.

If facebook doesn’t work for nerds, that’s fine, it works for everybody else. And I second Dan’s “elitist nerd” comment above. No different than an insufferable indie rock fan who moves on to the newest ironic crap-in-a-cardigan band before anybody else does, and tells you all about it. It’s all Ben Mulroney.

I’m also merciless when it comes to rejecting people I don’t really know, so my Facebook experience has been reasonly clean. Hey, not terribly useful but with minimal annoyance is about all I can ask from a friend anyway…

I just think the elitist nerds want a new club that doesn’t allow the unwashed masses.

Heehee! Seems that we all have that impression. But as you said, it also seems that Facebook “is working hard to put the wrong bits of toothpaste back in the tube”. Let’s wait for the big revamp.
Best regards.