Thanks to all for contributing their opinions. I have quite enjoyed this debate. Lance points to the potential abuse of a system where users could "declare" their real-world relations who are also playing on this site. However, I think something along those lines would be useful if it could somehow be protected against abuse. If I come up with something brilliant, I'll post it as a suggestion. Until then, I'm glad this matter has come to a close. My heart goes out to olkok for having to deal with this mess. Also, thanks to the mods who try to keep the playing field fair for us all.
Best,
Laci