What Betsy said. It's considered nice to comment shortly after you friend someone so they know why this strange person wants to read about them, but I've skipped that a few times, and had people skip it a few times in friending me. Edit: Massively x-posted.

you wouldn't want everyone in all the communities you are a member of to read.

I thought that, while a friends-locked entry in a community could be read by anyone in the community, friends-locked entries in personal journals could only be read by people on your personal f'list, so I don't need to worry about all 700 members of buffy_icons knowing about my therapy appointment from the community's friends page.

But yes, filters are handy things when you aren't too lazy to use them.

Thanks for the tips, everyone. Good to know.

Deb, I will definitely take you up on that offer later today.

friends-locked entries in personal journals could only be read by people on your personal f'list

LJ's right.

Dani, I only recently learned that it's considered polite to make a post commenting in their journal that you friended them and why.

Eh, some people consider it polite, but I think they are weird people. I really tend to not bother unless they have a stated policy. Of course, normally, I'm adding someone who has added me. And I'd say only two or three people have ever dropped me a line to say they've added me, and I thought it very strange of them to do so.

I usually post if I have something to say, but mostly start lurking to see if there's enough to start a conversation with. Then I introduce myself in my first comment.

(I'm Ro-Astarte over there, Dani, feel free to friend me if you're so inclined.

A number of people have friended me whom I don't know and who don't ever comment. I think it's the fic-posting thing. ::shrugs::

Most of my more personal entries are friends-locked.

I'd say only two or three people have ever dropped me a line to say they've added me, and I thought it very strange of them to do so.

That's interesting. I'm like Astarte -- I tend to try to comment on an entry where I feel like I have something to say. But if there isn't one, or if it's someone who I know will have no idea who I am, I will do the "Hi, I just friended you, hope you don't mind" thing.

I'm just starting to get more people adding me than I add, largely because I'm basically at reading capacity. Yesterday I posted an entry saying (slightly more nicely) that I wasn't adding people back who didn't comment and who I didn't know from elsewhere. But I've been friendslocking pretty much everything but fic and memes lately, so I might just be in a shy, weird phase.

Dani, I'm arliss on LJ. Sometimes I've just mentioned that I'm there and I've friended somebody. I know I go weeks sometimes without checking my flist. I'd not have known about a recent spook if someone on my flist hadn't mentioned him. He's still there on my list, btw. Did anyone find the goo-scraper to get rid of him?

He's still there on my list, btw. Did anyone find the goo-scraper to get rid of him?

There was a thing in News about this; I think they made it so if you ban someone, s/he is also off your f'list forever. Not sure how it works, because I currently (thank god and knock wood) have no need for troll destroyage.