Specifically, Facebook has a box for "I don't know this person" and when it started it insisted on you filling in a relationship for every friend, and if you ticked "don't know them" it asked why you were adding them (or agreeing to them adding you).
It's how I used LJ for ages, and I still know people on there who have never added anyone they haven't met in person.
Thing is, G+ is palpably not being designed with that model in mind, the whole point of Circles, including a 'following' circle by default, is that you add people you find interesting including people you've not met, etc.
I do think they're in the "it'll put "real" people off" mindset, but I think they're mostly wrong there, it'll put people off adding some people, but you can encourage a preference without enforcing it.
no subject
It's how I used LJ for ages, and I still know people on there who have never added anyone they haven't met in person.
Thing is, G+ is palpably not being designed with that model in mind, the whole point of Circles, including a 'following' circle by default, is that you add people you find interesting including people you've not met, etc.
I do think they're in the "it'll put "real" people off" mindset, but I think they're mostly wrong there, it'll put people off adding some people, but you can encourage a preference without enforcing it.