I just read this article about a company named uSocial which specializes in selling Facebook friends and followers. http://mashable.com/2009/09/02/usoci...ebook-friends/
What do you think?

I view this the same way I view soliciting bloggers to talk up your products or services, tread lightly or you will end up looking like a fake.

I thought its not a game to buy friends or fans. If your posts have unique and interesting content you can achieve it without spending money in buying friends. One more thing they the genuine traffic you want to target.

I agree 100%. Unfortunately, there are companies that are more concerned with quick returns rather than putting in the time and effort to do things the organic (re: honest) way.

I think that buying facebook friends may provide a short term remedy but not a long term solution.

Pathetic but true follow up to this, I spoke to a potential client (and after this meeting they are probably going to remain as a potential because they have no clue) and they asked be about building a quick community by buying or putting followers on the payroll. I pointed out that as this is a short cut that is doomed to fail similar to putting invented quotes from non-existent customers on their website or on their print collateral. I was of course speaking hypothetically when they said, 'Oh, we do that too.'

I understand the allure of taking short cuts but as they rarely work out in the end I am constantly amazed that supposedly intelligent business people actually embrace short cuts as standard operating procedure.

Can u expect the friends that u paied become your client or consumers? Think it agian!

What's point of of thse friends is the first question that u should think!

Agree with above comment, who would want to buy friends. Thats kinda sad and I feel sorry for the people who fall for it.

Sadly I don't think the "post intersting stuff" really works on Twitter. I read a great article that agreed with me and it basically said, "who is popular on Twitter? People that are famous."

They don't post interesting things usually. Heck, they usually don't even pay attention to the people that follow them. But they're famous and people want to know what they're doing.

I disagree with the contention that only famous people have a solid following on twitter. I also disagree good posts do not work. In many on-line political communities and in many of the tech communities there are twitter feeds that generate alot of interest. Like baking a cake, you have to have the right balance of ingredients to make something appetizing. In the case of twitter, a good message with the right audience will work if the effort is made.