So, once upon a time there was a little journal with a big, big ambition: to see how many friends it could attract in as short a period of time. <ljuser=friend_whoring> was just a fun little experiment. It was <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/userinfo.bml?user=friend_whoring/">simple</a>, it was sort of fun, and on the whole, it was an interesting little entry on my friends list. Eventually, the experiment was declared a success, and we all went on our merry ways. Right?

Heh. No way. In the past 24 hours, this thing has turned from a sociology experiment to unparalleled wank.

It all starts when the anonymous behind <lj user=friend_whoring> posts a plea to help a friend of his, a single mother who was burned out of house and home sometime in the past two days. There were links to <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/relevantpink/">other journals</a>, people who knew the victim in real life.

I read, I was sad, I forgot about it.

Then, the wank overflowed. First, accusations of lying. Rampant googling gone amok. Debate of how common the last name "Ballard" is. Finally, an <expletive-filled> public entry as to the perfidy of those EVAL UNBELIEVERS appears.

With over 700 friends, who knows how long this could go.

<b>ETA</b> Apparently,<a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/friend_whoring/">not very far</a>.

Well, THAT was sure disapointing. And even wankier. Plus, the supposed burned-out victim's <a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/kittybecca/">journal</a> has also gone friends only.