I am pretty good at close friendships... but I am not very good at having acquaintances.

I tend to over-invest in people, and end up being disappointed. I've gotten a lot better at avoiding this over the years though.

On the flip side, I was really affected by reading Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, where he talked about the power of "weak ties" and how maintaining acquaintances can be good for your career. That helped me see that there's real value in being able to maintain acquaintances, and sparked a change in how I manage my friends and acquaintances.

Over time I've gotten a bit better at this, but I still prefer to spend my time with my close friends and am not so good at keeping up acquaintances. Working on that one...

Are you good at having acquaintances?