Had a conversion with a potential 'friend' today. This conversation went a little something like this;

Person: "Can I add you to my friends list?"
Me: "Sure, just do not be upset when I remove you from my friends list."
Person: "Why remove me?"

As this point I proceeded to answer the question, and I have had this conversation a number of times before, but for some reason, this answer I gave, and I typed really did a good job explaining how I feel on the whole matter. I liked it enough to want to at least get it down for preservation and perhaps to share with some of you. It is my hope that this explanation of my views will help to enlighten others in some way, but if not, it is atleast preserved for my later reading, and even perhaps, it can save me a lot of time in explaining this to other, allowing me to simply LINK to this post when anyone else ask.

The answer went a little something like this, though note that the order is not particular:

A combination of reasons really.
1)I find that my understanding of friendship and the relationship that goes with it, doesn't align with everyone else views. I feel that I put a different value on friendships and that relationship, to me, friendships are always something you should cherish and try to respect. (though that doesn't mean friends should never argue, or even should go out of their way to spare one another feelings)
2)With me, I have a preference for quality over quantity.. so that means I will ALWAYS have a limited number of 'friends' and I just rather have 3 or 4 close friends with a quality relationship than dozens or even hundreds of people I hardly know. I feel that this means that my relationship with my friends is typically 'richer' and 'worth more'
but also means that I feel that the term 'friendship' is often over-used, and as such devalued
3)To me, friends are things that come and go, some last longer than others, perhaps even significantly so but eventually they end. If we are extremely lucky the friendship will only end with the death of /BOTH/ members of the friendship.
4)If we do not speak to one other, then that means we do not have a relationship, because a relationship is built on communication; if we do not have a relationship, then why keep someone on my 'friends list'?
5)I like a tidy friends list
6)A good number of these people on my 'friends list', aren't /really/ friends.. they are mostly acquaintances that I would like to get know better, or they would like to get to know me better. And even though that desire is there, alot of them do not make it 'past' that level of relationship with me. So after an amount of time, typically when #4 starts to set in, I simply remove them
7) I find it dumb when a 'friend' laments or even feels bad when a friendship ends and find it tedious when someone actually gets upset or their feelings hurt when that happens so I tell people not to be upset when it happens.. we ALL have different paths to travel in life, sometimes those paths merge together, sometimes they drift apart.. its a natural thing. I rather remember the journey we shared than and end on good terms then to have some dumb drama ruin it because A) one or both of the parties either fail to realize that friendships come and go, or B) because one or both parties feelings of insecurity causes a terrible end to what was a good thing.
8) I have found that most people hope and want something significant, and even special out a relationship but they fail to realize that if you try to have that with EVERYONE then there will never be anything significant and special about it. One of my favorite quotes from one of my favorite movies...
"Dash: But Dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of, our powers made us special.
Helen: Everyone's special, Dash.
Dash: [muttering] Which is another way of saying no one is."
Despite that fact, these people will still try to do exactly that, to make every relationship 'special' and then when it fails they will wonder why, and even cry streams of tears over it.