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Friendship books (also known as '''"FBs"''' in their abbreviated form) are small booklets made by stapling paper together, or are sometimes just sheets or strips of paper. They are usually decorated and the person who starts the book writes their name and address as the first person sending the book. People often include a list of interests as well. The FB is then passed around from penpal to penpal, and can often also become a way for one to meet new penpals. Most people hope to see the book again once it is full so they add their return address to the back cover of the book too, or inscribe "Return to Sender" on it. People also sometimes make FBs for someone else rather than themselves, in which case they write the name and address of the recipient on the front/at the top. Some people find friendship books fun because you can see where they have been in a trail back to the original sender/recipient. The German friendship books (or ) serve a similar purpose but are kept, not sent away. Access is considered more intimate; sometimes the book even has a lock. The information given about oneself often includes quotations, poetry and worldly wisdom. SEE ALSO Friendship books that require entrants to make drawings, use stickers or magazine photographs are known as '''"deco" friendship books''' or just simply "decos". Typically, each entrant in the "deco" must use one full page to express themselves. Glitter, sequins, feathers and other scrapbooking supplies are frequently used in "decos." Despite the artistic expressions used in these types of friendship books, the basic rules of passing the friendship book to person to person is the same. When a 'friendship book' is only one page (no staples), it's called a 'friendship sheet.' If the page is small, like the size of a postcard, or smaller, it's called a 'cram.' Friendship books that have a musical theme, where you have to add lyrics to your entry, are called "lyrics" or "lyrics sheets". "Slams" are friendship books that include a theme of questions, either "Sign if you did/like the following", "What is your favorite" or other similar questions. These usually include one page as a "sign in", several pages of questions, and then a "sign out" or "shout out" page at the end. Sometimes a friendship book can get misplaced and take several years to reach its intended maker. It is considered common courtesy to pass the friendship books on to another pen pal as quickly as possible. Another rule of thumb with friendship books is that after two years of circulation, the friendship book should be returned home to its owner. With the popularity of the internet, some pen pals include their email address along with their snail mail address so people can make sure their letter will successfully make it to the intended pen pal. It is not acceptable to ever destroy a friendship book or in anyway deface it. If a person does not wish to participate in a particular friendship book they can write something such as the word "pass", along with their name and the date. Some people choose to not sign certain friendship books and simply pass them along to another pen pal without signing it. As long as the book is passed along in a timely manner, it does not really matter if this has occurred. Also, most friendship books are sent only to women. Frequently "No men/No prisoners" is added to books, as well as "No swapping in Africa" because sometimes the addresses in friendship books are sold on the streets with the promise of "women who want male companions". Some abbreviations often found in friendship books:
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