I haven't seen evidence of added value for being a friend. It's just giving a donation and I'd rather support animal causes - sorry.

That aside, I don't believe it increases your chances of being boosted. I published a piece about being boosted a couple of days ago, which you might find interesting. Anyway, thanks for the mention.

Oh also, the earnings from reads by friends aren't always higher than the earnings by standard members. This is consistent. My reads seem to come in at 21 or 22 cents, while most reads by friends come in at 2-3 cents. Who's delivering 4x the earnings now (plus some)? Weird, but true.