Japan’s biggest social network service Mixi added a new feature around its Mai-Miku(comes from “My Mixi”) friend system, adding “good friend”.
In addition to the existing “diary only to friends”, you can write a “good friends only” diary now.
There have been many troubles on Mixi Diary such like people boasting their petty crimes were tracked down by analysing their past diaries, friends network and community by raged net users and had to leave their schools/companies. And many of them were by people who had misunderstood that Mixi is closed (and protected) place different from the web.
It is supposed to be safer as you can restrict your readers only your friends. However, as in Japan most people are using nickname and illustration icon without showing their real name or face, having couple of hundred friends means that you have someone whom you really do not remember well. Then, even it was only for friends, your writings are copied and forwarded into the open web.
For example, just a week ago, a police woman in her twenty something by moaning tough work, cheap salary and authoritarian colleague on her Mixi diary opened only to her friends, was reported to get an admonition and resigned at her own request [J] (the form often observed when employer pressures to let him/her so, instead of firing). It is said that her Mixi friend had informed those diaries to their boss.
I am pretty unsure if this good/better/true friends setting solves such an issue, and that also may make you an embarrassed when you notice that you are not listed on your good friend’s good friend.
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