Friend sReunitd - are they having a recruitment drive?

[UnquietDad]

OK, so I've had my details up on FR for a good few years, but I've never stumped up the cash for full membership.

Just a couple of days ago, I had an email from them saying they have turned my pictures into a slide-show for me. Great. Nice of them, although I can't really see the point.

Then within 24 hours I get a message. Bearing in mind that in 7 years or so of being on FR I've only ever had the one before. It's from someone I got on with OK but wasn't a close friend, who I lost touch with after primary school, and who now lives abroad.

And it reads like an impersonal, automated message. "Hi &^%$£, saw you on FR, would love to know what you are doing now, best wishes from '£$%&."

And, of course, to reply I need to register for full membership.

My detectors are now in overdrive.

I hear nothing from FR for over two years, and now they are both sprucing up the site AND sending me "messages" from people I thought had forgotten I exist? Maybe I'm cynical, but , , .... My first thought is that this contemporary of mine now works for FR, or that members are being offered some sort of bonus to recruit people for full membership, or...

Would be interested to know if anyone's had a similar experience or can shed any light on this!

There is one more interesting thing to tell but I will wait until I've had some responses...

I can't even type Friends Reunited properly. If that header can be fixed I'd be grateful!!

It could be dodgy but it could equally be legit and fine (they could have seen you and not realised that you needed full membership).

Any company often adds new things to try and encourage to join you so probably a coincidence that both things happened at the same time.

Would like to know how the other interesting thing fits in.

Join facebook (is free) and see if your mate is on there.

You could be right, but I still think it's odd that I got such an impersonal message just a day after the promo thing.

IME on lots of these things some people do send very impersonal messages to guage the reaction/test the water. If you have been out of contact with someone for a long time they may not know how you will react.

Am curious to what the other thing is.

Of course I am an eternal optimist and not yet invested into cynical ways

A thread on here prompted me to go back to FR and I left a few buzzes for old friends. I've now had a couple of buzzes back. Trouble is we're all too stingy to have paid the fee to send proper messages so we'll probably never get back in touch lol.

twinklemegan: what's a buzz? is it some way of getting in touch without paying the fee? That might explain the message.

The "other thing" is that it's a woman, that's all. Who's now married! Some people might find that odd. Maybe she's sent messages to all her olds classmates.

It's a new thing. It's literally a little icon, like a bubble saying Hi or something, and a word like Hello! or Congratulations! (the latter in my case because I posted an announcement about my DS). Then there are generic messages like the one you mention - not sure if you need to subscribe for those.

Ive been registered on FR for about 3 yrs and often get msgs from the site- I havent had anything like this

They do have a list of automated messages you can send, in case you are not sure what to type.

I got that same email yesterday to.

i got a message from an old school friend a couple of weeks ago. the first after i've been on there for years and it was genuine.

another person wjo has switeched to face book..

where im back on 'touch' with about 100 old school friends for FREE

Ooo, the same thing happened to me, Unquiet. 2 messages within a week yet only one in the past 7 years. Hmmmm.

But, I have also had lots of messages from people telling me to get on facebook.

could be coincidence but I've just had something similar happen to me, I've had a couple of buzzes from a friend but can't get any further without joining,I sent her a buzz back and she has traced my e-mail through web search so we are now back in touch without paying the fee. I have only had a couple of contacts in the years I have been a member and this is out of the blue. Friends Reunited keep sending me reminders about the messages asking me to subscribe.

i had a friend contact me off FR... (just 2 weeks ago actually.... yes my 2nd message in about 7 years, reoviosue one being 3+ years ago!)

I found her brother of facebook and asked him to ask her to contact me that way and pass on my email..... which he kindly did.... for free!