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Rate Your IM Popularity

aicrules writes "The internet has long been a safe haven, and thus a play-field-leveling force, for the less socially adept to create a network of friends to share in fun, games, and conversation. However, it appears as if the influence of the social ladder is creeping its way in. While it will certainly lend itself to the abuse that any online scoring system faces, AimFight is the new place where people can go to check their popularity against others." From the article: "Your popularity is based on who has you on their buddy list. There's a complicated algorithm at work here. Your score is measured to the third degree, in the sense of the 'six degrees of separation' game that seeks to link anybody on Earth to any other person through no more than five friends. Say a couple of your friends, A and B, have you on their buddy lists. A, who has three people on her buddy list, doesn't add much to your score. That's because she doesn't have as many people on her buddy list as does B, who has 16. Your friend A is clearly not as well-connected as your friend B. Not unlike life."

7 of 332 comments (clear)

  1. Without the silly flash interface by DosBubba · · Score: 5, Informative
  2. Still no friends by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dang, and I thought online no one knew I had no friends.

  3. I don't have any. by elgee · · Score: 5, Funny

    I have no friends whatsoever. At least not human friends.

    AmISnotOrNot ?

  4. Well that was unexpected by doublem · · Score: 5, Funny

    I guess those high school bullies really did peak in high school.

    I'm incredibly popular by this measure, and one of the jerks who tormented me is a virtual unknown!

    Karma, it can be a bitch.

    --
    "Live Free or Die." Don't like it? Then keep out of the USA
  5. Re:The real winners by Nytewynd · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Actually, it isn't just how many friends you have. It is how many friends your friends have. That means as long as a geek latches on to a popular person, they can be popular by proxy.

    --
    /. ++
  6. Re:Hardware? by ch-chuck · · Score: 5, Funny

    that'll be corrected in the dupe

    --
    try { do() || do_not(); } catch (JediException err) { yoda(err); }
  7. Re:Missing option: No-gottum IM by sp0rk173 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Strangely, I still seem to be able to get laid whenever I want.

    You just choose not to, right?