Log on to Facebook and you're greeted with the message "Facebook helps you connect and share with the people in your life", but who are these people and do you really need to connect with them? Ask yourself, are you in it for the real friends or the fame?

Remember Me?

Let's be friends on Facebook. I'll add you! Who knows, we're probably already friends, and that's where the problem lies... Some people think that the more FB friends they have, the cooler they are, so now the average Facebook user has taken to adding everyone and anyone. We've created the "non-friend" friend. They're that person you've added because 10 years ago you spent two minutes with them in pre-school. Or they're a friend of a friend's brother, who you've met once. A year ago. And while having a bucket load of online friends may look cool at first, by adding the "non-friend" friend to your list, you've boosted your FB popularity but may have devalued all the real friendships you have in the process.

Rising Numbers

Natasha, 16, has more than 500 FB friends. Introduced to FB a year after it was initially launched by Mark Zuckerberg in 2004, Natasha has made a point of not adding people she hasn't actually met. "I'd prefer to only have good friends online," she says. "I try to delete the ones I don't actually see, but it takes too long coz you have to do it individually."

The Cooler Kids

Clara, 15, whose friend list also runs at more than 400, agrees that she also wishes she hadn't added just anyone to be her FB friend. "When people see how many friends you have, they think you're just adding people to look cool and that in itself makes you look like a loser. When I see someone's profile and they don't have too many friends, it's almost like I respect them more coz they've only added the people they really care about." Remember that less is more theory?

The Whole Truth and Nothing But the Truth

It's also super-important to keep an open mind when you're looking at new potential friend profiles. FB lets you see only what other people want you to see. As users, we can edit our information and manipulate our pages to be the way we want to be seen by others.

Effort? What effort?

So, what do the numbers tell us? Well duh, that it's a lot easier to have hundreds of online friends, than mates in the real world! A quick wall post here or there, tagging someone in a photo or simply commenting on a status update and voila! You've completed your online friendship quota for the week. No verbal communication is required. But what's the price for this quick and easy, no fuss, no muss type of friendship, and are we prepared to pay it?

BFFs

The most important thing to remember when hitting the Net, is that gaining a friend on FB does not actually equal a new friend in reality. "GF readers with hundreds of 'friends' are, for the most part, kidding themselves if they think they are immersed in deep meaningful conversations like the ones that we have in real life," says GF psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg. Friendship takes time and work from both sides, as well as trust, support, kindness and honesty. Remember that a handful of real mates is always way better than hundreds of acquaintances. Real friends are the ones who don't just comment on your status when you're down, but show up on your doorstep with a big block of chocolate and the latest Zac Efron DVD offering a night of giggles, support and love.