Ning - ?confusion

I'm stumped and I'm fairly sure it is not just because of the hour of night-morning. I've joined another ning network out of curiosity and I'm puzzling through the way ning friends work... I couldn't find a friend's page, or a way to add her to my ning friend list.

The Frequently Asked Questions: Friends says:

• What is the difference between a friend and a member of a network?

Members are specific to a network while the concept of "friends" spans across Ning. It's possible to be friends with someone without being on the same network as them.

Well, duh, of course its possible to be friends with someone and not be in all their network, but I just don't see how that is possible within ning:

That page then also says:

• Who can send me friend requests on Ning?

To protect your privacy, only people who have networks in common with you can send you friend requests.

So tell me again how the concept of "friends" spans across Ning? I guess it must work, and these two statements just appear to conflict each other, but if it does can someone tell me how I add a friend when I don't want to join the network they're in?