IMs, Social Networking Friends' list

I am not sure if I am too choosy in terms of friends or what, but my friend list in any Instant Messaging service or in any Social Networking site is smaller than most of my other colleagues. If somebody asks me about this, I just kid around saying that the bar is very high for reaching my list.

Firstly, I do not like to have someone in these lists who I don't know. I know you would think how that is possible. But I have heard people saying that though a particular person is in his/her list, he/she really don't have much acquaintance with this person. My idea is that I should be able to talk to anyone in the list without having that person or myself to put pressure on the mind about thinking who each of us was. That's like the first filter.

My institute has a separate IM service to connect with people associated with the institute. Batch strength every year is around 250 and in my list I have only 31 people (yeas, I did count) across three batches (mine, my senior batch and my junior batch). I have seen lists that would have atleast thrice that number, and that would not at all be uncommon. Of the 31, 16 are from my dorm and the remaining 15 otherwise - 14 from my batch, the lone guy from my junior batch is someone I knew from before.

Sometimes, people get added for convenience. so, if you are temporarily working with a few people and there is a need to communicate with them frequently, it does make sense to add them (even if it is on a temporary basis).

Another issue is that there are now so many of these services and adding everyone everywhere is just so much redundancy and waste. Why not add people at only those channels where you think you would use these channels to contact them on a priority basis i.e. if you have a choice, you would go for a particular service to contact this person over others.

Sometimes people get added because you don't want to annoy anyone, especially when the particular service has mandated it to be a two-way street and you would not be there in the other person's list if he/she is not in yours. And it does make sense to add for one should give chance to every relationship. I think how would I feel if I sent a friend request to someone and it gets rejected.

I try to get in touch with each of people in all my lists at least once a year. It's not about networking for they can be of use or any such motives behind the thought. But that I like to atleast be in touch. Even if that means sending wishes for Diwali and not speaking for the rest of the year.

I know one might be of the view that this is thinking all too much. And its easier and better to just add people and not spend too much of our mind-time in these issues. I am not sure if I have any thing to oppose that.