Mystery Friends

In the last week I have noticed something odd.

First there is a member named Ex, who I can't access in the member search.

I saw a post of this person and the green bar showed her as one of my friends, well since I hadn't noticed her before I checked out the profile from the thread I saw the post in since I couldn't access the name in member search.

It shows that I picked this person as a friend yet the name isn't on my profile as either she/he picked me or I picked her/him.


Okay, no big deal.

Then today I was looking at a thread and the same thing, the member showed the green bar as one of my friends. When I looked at the persons profile the person shows no friends either picked by the member or chosen as a friend by any other member!

I hadn't seen this before and wondered how it could happen. I am willing to add both to my own friend list but I am perplexed as to how this could happen.

Feedback please!

reply to post by interestedalways


Do you have anyone on your friends list with the letter "ex" somewhere in their name? I think there is a glitch in the system...

I also have a member show up as my friend, but the member is not on my list. And this member's name is the same as the three middle letters in the name of someone who IS on my friend list.

Not sure if I explained this very well. Hope you understand what I mean anyway.

See for your self with Ex's profile then try to find it in member search.

Keep in mind I am listed (with many others) as having picked the member yet i never did so. How can it happen and why isn't it accessible through member search.

Same thing with Inez, only Inez shows no friends on the entire profile.

This was talked about a couple times on the Board Business forum. here's a good thread that AshleyD started. I'm sure the mods could explain it in technical terms, but it is basically a glitch. a freakishly weird glitch, but just a glitch. In a thread I can't find anymore, I found a couple people in the exact same circumstances as you mention.

Defcon5 explained it pretty well when he said (in regards to that thread's circumstances):

There is a problem with the friend system that I have noticed in the past, and it was mentioned to the staff but never fixed. If you have two profile names that are similar they sometimes end up with similar friends in their lists. You have a member with the word “Thought” in their profile name listed as a friend, look at how many similar friends that they have to the supposed hacker. That is where the problem is, its an SQL thing I am pretty sure. There are a couple other Defcons listed under members, and at least one of them shares the same friends list that I do, as it’s a non-functional member it really does not effect much in my case. See this is not me but he has my friends list: www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 1/20/2009 by CeltAngel]

It's the glitch thing as the other poster said.
I'm stuck with the member Agent Violet's friends and foes.

I think it could be rectified for future name selection if they disallowed the use of more than one word, and made you place an underslash or whatever.

[edit on 20-1-2009 by violet]

Thanks or all the input.

I just don't understand glitches.

I can accept the idea that the similar letters could cause some confusion, but why can't the members be accessed in the member search?

I can't access my "mystery" friend either through the member search...

I haven't noticed anything like this as written in the OP, but I just checked and found out that someone who made me his foe has disappeared. Nah, I am not worried. Foes or friends, if I have them so be it, if not then so be it.

edited to remove a not that shouldn't have been there before disappeared.

[edit on 20-1-2009 by kyred]

Perhaps said mystery friend is on an ignore list that you are tied to and that is why you can't reach it. Just a thought.

reply to post by Ant4AU


My mystery friend is definetely not on my ignore list. I don't use the ignore button. I am just too curious - don't want to miss out on anything!

I never use ignore, I, like the previous posted don't want to miss anything.

just seems odd to run across 2 in one week

Could a mod comment or look into this?

well, i haven't notice this "glitch" but i have someone who added me as their friend and they have no posts......no threads.......no points??????? wouldn't you know it would be just a troll. d a m n, i always get trolls! why not somone named "allen?"

well lucky for me i dont have any friends so i dont have to deal with this glitch so HA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



wait a sec.....i have no friends!!




I am so alone in this world!!!!!

reply to post by Mondax



Hi, friend.

reply to post by Mondax


I'm your 2nd friend, ziggy beat me to being your first