Nov 6, 2008

facebook dilemmas

I know only a few of you out there read this, but if you are reading it, I would like some feedback on this issue if you have a minute to respond. Recently, I was asked to be someone's friend on facebook. Not a new issue, it has happened before. (I know, I'm amazed too ;) )

This particular person though is one that I have never actually met, but is a person who works for the company I work for. We do not work in the same location (even when I am working from my hometown) and we have only had maaaaybe 1 conversation online when we had to for work. Now this person has asked to be my friend on facebook.

So what's the problem? I'm not sure I want her to be my friend. I don't want this person from work being able to see what I'm up to while not actually knowing me. Also, I would most definitely have to take my blog off facebook as I've written several posts in which I express a desire to get a new job... and now this entry.... well, that would just be awkward.

So my question is, is it rude to reject her facebook friendship? Do you think she'll ever even notice? Also, I was SHOCKED to realize just how many of my coworkers actually use facebook and really hope that no more of them request to be my friend! (I know I am naive to be shocked, but sometimes I forget that facebook isn't just for college kids and recent grads anymore! I still think it was better that way and will continue to think that until one day I realize I am not a recent grad anymore and am still a faulker... aka facebook stalker...)

It sounds bad, but is it so bad to want to keep your personal and professional lives separate? When I come home from work, I want to leave work behind, I don't want to worry that my boss will see a photo someone posted of me in a bar and think I'm a lush.

(I'm only a lush on the weekends.... and even then only sometimes hehe)

So what do you think? To friend or not to friend... that is the question. I don't want her to think I'm a total you-know-what, but I don't think I'm comfortable letting someone I don't know access that much personal info about me. (Just so you know, I NEVER accept friendships of people I have never heard of, or who creep me out, or who I think I might have met once three years ago in college, etc.) So let me know what you think. Should I accept her and perhaps limit what she can see in my settings, or just reject it and hope she never notices?

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Hey! So I vote for accepting her with your limited profile. Then, you don't seem rude and for all she knows you don't really use your facebook anymore and update it with all the fun stuff. I did that with a couple of old professors that added me. You can pick and choose what the limited profile shows.

MISS YOU!

Sam said...

First, I probably need to preface this comment with a confession that I am a total stranger, and yet, I came across your blog through a link from Tim and Beth Brady's blog, and... so I guess I'm a blalker?

But I've had similar problems, and actually left Facebook because of it. But I rejoined because I learned 2 things:

1. If you reject someone's friendship, they usually don't catch on because they don't get a rejection notice, or anything.

2. Under settings, you can choose to make certain things invisible to certain people. For instance, I have a list of people who can't see my blog.

You could also keep work people from being able to see your pictures.

I'm with you, though, on liking the days when it was just a college thing. FB and I have an intrigue/hate relationship.