Why won't anybody accept my friend requests on Facebook?

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And no, I don't just send a friend request to anyone. The last few friend requests I have sent out are people that I work with (they have all other co-workers in their friends list), and one of my boyfriend's relatives who I have met in person and is near my age (she goes on Facebook a lot too because her profile picture changes a lot), and friends of friends. I see some people have, like, 300+ friends on their list, and surely they don't know every single one of those in person, and that most are probably just added for the same reasons as I stated above (relative or friend of close relative or partner/works with/knows through other people/etc). Some people add people they don't even know, or hardly know.
And no, I don't have a creepy profile picture. It's just consists of me and my boyfriend.

Can some people's Facebook settings be set so that they can't receive new friend requests? Sometimes my friend request gets "undone". Does this mean I am intentionally rejected every time? I thought it was acceptable to add people on Facebook who you know and they know who you are. Didn't know you have to be the best of friends and know 50 personal facts or more about that person before you can accept that person on Facebook.

why don't you ask someone to add you on facebook when you're there with them in person. most people can do it on their phones.

For facebook it depends.

Some people only accept friend requests of their most personal friends and thus have few.

Other people might friend request random people just to get their friend number count up.

For example my best friend is only friends with 'true' friends and family on facebook so he only has about 55. Another one of my friends has around 50, another one 40, and another one 95.

But I am friends with this one guy on facebook who likes to friend request random people from other countries putting his number at like 1,000.

Me I am somewhere in the middle with about 165 friends, most being 'true' friends and family, some being random classmates who I added or added me for the heck of it.

Basically yes it really does depend. Here is some basic rules of thumb though:

1. Making a friend request for a random classmate or co-worker for example DOES NOT MATTER and does NOT mean much if they reject it. It may have little to do with their actual opinion of you. It's facebook. Everybody does it to everyone, all the time, friend requesting classmates or co-workers they might only be acquaintances with and not friends.

2. Facebook friends rarely ever reflect real life. Things like fake accounts, fake friends and family skew the numbers.

3. Many people friend request people they barely know or are not friends with, giving them like 1,000 friends.

4. Some facebook users only ever say yes to good friends they have known for a long time and family, they most likely will have lower numbers and will be more likely to say no if you are only a co-worker or classmate.

5. Most people fall somewhere in the middle, having around 150-300 friends and being a bit of a mix between the two. Maybe 75% will be actual friends and family, the other 25% friends of friends or people they barely know from school/work/club/whatever.

And Alex has got the right idea. It's best to ask while with them and they can do it on their phone. However at the same time this pressures them because it is more awkward for them to say no. Sometimes it can be good if you do it right but other times it is forcing it on them.

A good idea is to actually ask the person if they have a facebook and if they say yes, if you can add them. Pretend you do not know their last name even if you do or pretend you have forgotten, so ask them to remind you so you can add them. Some people even use alternative names or fake names so this also helps.

Make sure they are an acquiantance at least, maybe a co-worker you talk to sometimes, and make sure the conversation is about facebook as well.

Why send? Facebook is the reason why humans cannot interact in the world without the use of a blue wall in the data sector.

I feel embarrassed asking people to add me on Facebook. I thought a friend request on Facebook was a friendly way of saying "nice to have met you the other day, I see you have a Facebook account, would you like to add me?" Or, "we work together, you know me and I know you, would you like to add me?"

I'm always told I'm rude to not answer PMs on Wrong Planet. But apparently it's not rude for someone you do already know as a friend/acquaintance in real life to reject a friend request you sent to them on Facebook. I only reject a friend request if I do not know that person at all. Like the other day I received one from this man with a foreign name from another country, and I had no idea who he was so I rejected it. But if it was someone, say, from my local town who I don't know that well but know of, I would think "oh nice of them to send me a friend request", and I would accept. Just to be friendly. Or if it was from somebody at work whom I don't really speak to that much except a casual greeting in the morning, I would still accept. Or even if it was someone who I didn't know in person but I knew was best friends with a cousin or aunt of mine, I would add them. I never met my cousin's girlfriend before, and I didn't even know she was on Facebook. But one day she sent me a friend request and I accepted it, and now we talk to each other a lot and found we have a lot in common. So basically I had made a friend.

"Why won't anybody accept my friend requests on Facebook?"

Because they don't like you and don't want to be associated with you.

Don't take this personal, as this applies to anyone on facebook having their friendship requests bluntly rejected and it happens daily.

Well f**k you too then.

Sorry about my previous post, I just got a bit upset. I don't always like blunt answers like that, especially if it could be inaccurate. I usually can tell when someone don't like me, even when they are still civil to be polite. So I don't go chasing after people that don't like me.

And I just don't get how many people have 200 or 300+ Facebook friends, like they have a lot of acquaintances or even people they know of but don't really talk to on or offline, but yet it's "wrong" for me to send an acquaintance or friend or relative a friend request. I understand about people not always wanting to give out their phone number, but I thought Facebook was more open - especially when you send a friend request to someone who you know and have a lot of mutual friends with. Isn't that why you get a "people you might know" list of friends of mutual friends, so it gives you the opportunity to add more friends to your list? That's how I noticed other people using it.

Hey Joe,

It's only Facebook, it's not "real life." It's a "social-networking" entity.

I know for a fact that people like you. Don't listen to those who tell you otherwise--they're pulling your chain.

A "Facebook" friend is usually not a "real friend."

I would assess my "making friends" abilities on the friends I make in "real life," rather than on Facebook.

Heck, even one of my cousins didn't accept my friend request, and a couple of my husband's cousins have actually unfriended him on FB. Whatever. Obviously we are not close! And not close enough that this whole FB thing is going to hurt our feelings or interfere with inter personal conversations when we see the cousins.

You can't judge how well people like you based on FB, like everyone here has said.

I am one of those people with 200+ "friends" on FB. I don't see most of their feeds. My life consists of many, many acquaintances and very few actual friends, so FB is in no way an accurate picture of my social life. In fact, I think I am "friends" with people on FB who would actually rather not talk to me IRL.

I like FB because it keeps me "in the loop", kind of like reading the news. Some people live long distance, so it's a good way to passively keep in touch. It is also a way for me to keep in contact with a few people who share some interests, like raising goats and homeschooling. It is easy for me to share ideas or ask questions. I share some on FB, but mostly funny things that happen to me.

I know just about everyone on my "friends" list IRL, but I am not close. FB does help me feel like I actually belong in the world. I have no friends (save one) that call me up and invite me out. If it weren't for FB, I'd have no one "talking" to me at all. I work for myself from home, so I don't even have the social aspect of having coworkers. FB is kind of like having the TV on when I'm home alone so it "feels" like someone is there with me.