Clubbyclub: A place for real friends

If you have a MySpace or Facebook account, you know how hard it is to ignore friend requests. And in no time, you end up with a long list of buddies that contains mostly people you've never met or even talked to before. The definition for "friend" has never been more blurred.

In reaction to this and to bring back the true meaning of buddy-ship, on Monday, Clubbyclub announced its new social network to provide a private and safe place for friend groups, like student clubs, schoolmates, and sport teams.

This means random surfers can't find out about members or groups on this Web site. Only members of a private group can visit their online place. Clubbyclub states that its Web site is built for fun and with the assurance that "your ex, boss, or mother-in-law will not be sneaking around your pictures and other materials".

At Clubbyclub, you are supposed to connect only to your real friends. The Web site owner goes even further, stating, "Your cousin, your classmate from 2nd grade, or your colleague are usually not your real friends." Basically, Clubbyclub is a lively place to communicate with your actual friends without using e-mail.

This also means, however, that if you don't mind using e-mail, it might not be necessary to join the club at all. Personally, I believe if you have something that you don't want people to sneak around and found out about, it's best not to put it on the Internet at all.