OK I have some questions about the Happy Birthday threads:
For Ann (and Boxy who used to do them) - do people tell you their birthdates or do you glean them from posts that might mention it?
For Ann - would you normally always stay up until just after midnight so you can post them?
For everyone - do you add them to them whoever it is, even if you don't normally 'chat' to them or do you pick and choose?
Me personally - I feel a cad if I haven't added although I often don't
I hate to sound grumpy but I don't really don't like them and resented having my privacy invaded when one appeared for me......to the extent that I considered reporting it.
I only ever put up birthday greetings to people I wanted to greet personally - and I've never kept a diary, as I believe ann does. I'm selective, I don't join in an HB thread automatically - any more than I'd send birthday cards hard copy to acquaintances. I certainly don't feel bad for not adding to a birthday thread for someone I don't interact with on here.
It's not grumpy, jj - IMO, the spontaneity goes out of the greeting if all the birthdays are automatic posts first thing every morning. I don't like it much either. I know who on here I share my birthday with, and we put up a shared post that day.
Paypalling money for presents? - we don't send presents to family, let alone to people we don't really know!!
I don't find it odd. Maybe she had rubbish birthdays when she was younger so tries to make sure everyone has a smile on their birthdays or perhaps she had great birthdays and just wants to spread the cheer.
If it's just birthdays she has in her book then that's okay but if she has full profiles of users then that wouldn't be cool unless she works a psychologist or policewoman and doing that is her second nature.
In the seven years I've been a member here I've only ever joined in a birthday thread twice I think. I don't actually like threads like that and find them a bit odd or creepy or something...I can't think of the right word.
Maybe it depends on how much you make of birthdays generally, we've never bothered much and don't send each other cards or buy presents.