>>Naomi - I understand (and I suspect Dmitry does, too) that you didn't mean disrespect, but it could certainly be read that way.
>>
>>FWIW, I don't think Steve meant to imply that Sergey was his personal friend, either. Calling someone "my friend" when they've just helped you is just an expression.
>>
>>Bottom line. This is one of those cultural things.
>>
>>Tamar
>
>I understand it now - but I can say that I did really feel before that many people here are my friends - that's why this word should be used with care.

There just aren't enough words in English, so each has to carry the burden of several meanings. Whenever there's a dispute whether a word is appropriately used, if it's about English, I either stay out of it or have fun with the confusion.