I'd call LJ's choice of terms for it's journal tracking method unfortunate.
Which is why Dreamwidth (not yet open) is splitting the list into two parts: a Watch list and a Trust list.
It's been requested for years that LJ do this; their reaction is "just build filters for the people you want to have access to limited stuff." (Which might be reasonable if the filters were easier to deal with.)
The emotional baggage carried by the word "friend," and the multiple meanings of "someone I care about" and "someone whose blog posts I watch," do not help these discussions.
off-topic tangent
Which is why Dreamwidth (not yet open) is splitting the list into two parts: a Watch list and a Trust list.
It's been requested for years that LJ do this; their reaction is "just build filters for the people you want to have access to limited stuff." (Which might be reasonable if the filters were easier to deal with.)
The emotional baggage carried by the word "friend," and the multiple meanings of "someone I care about" and "someone whose blog posts I watch," do not help these discussions.