So Friends is implemented in the alpha app. One thing I really like is how messaging is connected to friends. You can’t just directly message any user (outside of hosting requests, or meetups later on I assume) but you have to pick from your friends list. Or send a friend request first. I think this could help a lot against spamming messages.
I still don’t think friends is a good term here. Why not name the entire section Connections or something along these lines? This has a prime spot in the main menu right now, but I can’t see much developing around a friends section, apart from having this list of contacts.
On the other hand, we already have a lot of discussion around different ways of connecting with other members. I’d hope that a more dedicated term would also encourage more dedicated thoughts down the line on how we can develop and grow this to be more than a list, but rather a fully developed section of the platform.