Friends and followers: the two ways people connect on Seldeo
Most social apps blur "friend" and "follower" into one idea. Seldeo deliberately keeps them separate, because they answer two different questions:
- Friends — who is in your life? Friendship is mutual. One person sends a request, the other accepts it, and from then on the relationship is symmetrical: you are each other's friend, or you aren't friends at all.
- Followers — whose posts do you want to see? Following is one-way and needs no permission. You can follow a creator who has never heard of you, and someone can follow you without you following back.
The two graphs are maintained independently, and every audience and feed decision in the app traces back to one of them.
What the profile buttons mean
On another person's profile you'll see one button for each graph.
The friendship button changes with the state of the relationship:
| Button | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Add friend | No relationship yet — tap to send a friend request. |
| Requested | You sent a request and it hasn't been answered. |
| Respond | They sent you a request — tap to accept or decline. |
| Friends | The request was accepted; you're friends. |
The follow button is simpler: Follow if you don't follow them yet, Following once you do.
Accepting a friend request also follows
When you accept a friend request, Seldeo also makes the two of you follow each other. This is on purpose: it would be strange to call someone a friend and then not see their posts. You can adjust the follow afterwards without breaking the friendship.
What each relationship unlocks
- Your feed leads with friends. New posts from friends are the first thing your feed shows; posts from people you merely follow come after them. See How your feed is ordered.
- Audiences are built on the graphs. When you post, the audience options — everyone who follows you, your friends, or a custom list — resolve against these two graphs. Friendship is the more private circle; a friends-audience post never reaches a mere follower.
- Friendship is bounded, following is broad. Because friendship requires consent on both sides, it's the right relationship for the people you actually know. Following is the right one for creators and acquaintances whose posts you enjoy.
Ending either relationship
Both graphs are equally easy to leave. Unfollowing someone stops their posts from reaching your feed but leaves any friendship intact. Unfriending removes the mutual relationship. Neither sends the other person a notification.
If the problem is bigger than "I'd rather not see their posts," blocking is the stronger tool — see Blocking and restricting people.