"buddies"

Okay attempt two at this "buddy question?

the buddy list: should you keep people on your list who are not sharing their journals? does this mean they really do not want buddies after all?
when someone leaves the site will their name still appear on your buddy list?
If someone has not had any activity on their account for almost 2 years can you presume that they no longer participate on this site?

I had written another post but once I re-read it it sounded rediculous to me too... oops... sorry about that!

you're kidding right?

i have edited my post.. thanks for making me rethink my question...

I understand. You long for the reciprocity inherent in the exchange between buddies -- kind of a give & take relationship. The analogy I use to understand this phenomenon is email. There are "bulk mail" items that have gone to the trash folder after a certain number of days. These remain unseen when we check our regular mail. We know that they are there but we do not click on that folder.
The buddies on pages 2, 3, or 4 of your buddy list are there. You just don't see them very often. They might receive some kind of inspiration or motivation from you but are very shy about sharing their journal. I have a buddy named teach2read. She does not share her journal, her weight, or her posts. She is very special because she sent me the invitation to Fat Secret. So I keep her in a special place on my buddy list. Hopefully this explanation helps.

yes it does explain ... thank you...

thank you weiner.i recently accepted a buddy request from someone who doesnt "share" and i couldnt understand why i got the request.i do now.i still have a couple buddies who have not been active in months.i miss them and keep hoping they will return so i am here for them.

You are entirely welcome. I also understand this circumstance because I am someone who "dropped off the radar" for a year after a discouraging & intimidating experience. I felt guilty about not "being here" for my buddies. Eventually I re-gained the courage to come back. I am so grateful to be welcomed back by the buddies who had missed me while I was gone.

pam-u-la - Did you see the forum link entitled "Summer Reads"? Just wondering. I thought of you when I saw that topic!

I don't share much but I do get a lot of inspiration from you and my other buddies