Q: I’m trying to keep my Facebook account personal, but I just got a request from my boss to be friends. I like being able to be myself on Facebook, and I don’t want to worry about whether she’ll agree with my political statements or asides to actual friends. Can I ignore her request or am I obligated in some way to friend her?
A: This is a great question–and everybody is asking it these days. Your Facebook account is yours to do with as you like, so if you don’t want to friend your boss, you don’t have to. You have no professional obligation to do so. Your question does bring up a bigger point, however, and concerns what you “put out there” on the Internet. Remember that though your boss may not have access to what you say on Facebook, you may have a friend in common–via Facebook or offline. What you say and how you represent yourself on the Web sticks around, and you may want to think about whether you’re ready to talk with your boss or a client about your rants regarding tax-day tea parties or your status update about a day-long hangover last weekend.
For more on Facebook etiquette, see this article referencing Anna Post in the Washington Post.
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Yeah, the whole “boss on Facebook” thing is a bit Big-Brother-y, don’t you think? Can’t these people simply work with you and stay out of your personal life? Sheesh!!!.
It sure does seem that with all of the new technology in our lives the lines between public and private life can start to feel blurry.
If one chooses to be a part of any on-line community, one gives away all rights to keeping anything personal from anyone who he or she sees as inappropriate for receiving such information—period. The best advice to avoid these situations is to not be on facebook, myspace, or any other such site. Life can go on without making everything available to everyone.
Or if you do choose to participate, treat it as the public place that it can be if you don’t know how to manage privacy features and settings. Don’t behave in ways you would not on the main street of your town just because it is happening on your computer. In today’s world your private computer can be a public place.
Some relevant material.