I found something interesting.......I had tried other browsers before and there was no difference, but I tried again a few days ago with Maxthon and all seems normal with it.
I have been using Commodo browser and that's the one I have the friend issue with. I set it for "Incognito mode" awhile ago and I have a feeling that's where the heart of the problem lies. I have tried to reverse that mode, but can't seem to get it right.
My next step is likely to uninstall and reinstall Commodo, but I haven't tried that yet. Maybe some clues here for more computer savvy people..?? I know how to turn the machine on and find a site/ google etc.....but that's about my limit of knowledge of computers.
Feb 19/17 : Edit. I don't know what happened.....but everything is back to normal now, with any browser including Commodo.i never changed anything and was just going to Maxthon if I wanted to send a message. All is fine now.