Comments on: Facebook Friending Policy

By: Sharlyn Lauby

Sharlyn Lauby — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:10:46 +0000

Thanks for the comment Katherine. I’ve seen a few people making the decision to re-evaluate their Facebook friending policy. I must admit I’ve done a little of my own soul searching where Facebook is concerned.

I’m a pretty open networker and accept most friending requests. But as you mentioned, if you don’t engage with me or communicate at all…then I’m not sure why we’re connected. And with new tools like Google+ developing, I think some people are redefining why they use Facebook.

Just like in real life, it’s always hard to realize you’ve been unfriended. Time heals those wounds and new friends emerge.

By: Katherine Razzi

Katherine Razzi — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 15:38:31 +0000

Hi Sharlyn,

I agree with your Facebook blog. Here’s my added view:

A few weeks ago, I began chopping heads: I de-friended people who do not engage in any communication with me, nor do I really want to see who is chatting with who about parties I’m not invited to whether or not I’m in their age group, or distance prevailing. AND THIS IS JUST MY FAMILY FOR STARTERS. I even de-friended my son, who was very hurt about it. I told him I’m tired of seeing pictures of his father’s family and their vacations. Don’t call me jealous, I just have a perfunctory saying lately, “The less I know, the better off I am.” I don’t know why it bothers me to see it on FB. Maybe it’s because it becomes a lot more personal when you can engage yourself in FB from the privacy of your home/pc. So, my personal rule is to simply block it out from my view. Ah, we can all live in peace now.

Finally, I withdrew my entire FB account.

I’ve been computer literate for many years and when I first signed up on FB, I cleverly included every Tom, Dick and Harry I ever communicated with from my gmail account. I must have blinked and missed the “undo” button! That wasn’t a great start. I discovered the control buttons too late and could have avoided plenty of the old ex husband drama too. I don’t trust the control settings. How can your boss or potential employer see you on FB if you haven’t invited them?

Lately, there is a lot of “water cooler” chatting about the ill effects of FB more so than its praises. And you know, isn’t ironic? I remember when we were all worried about “Big Brother” watching us, and not to trust Uncle Sam. We’ve gone being helpless innocents trying to dodge a lion to voluntarily putting our heads right in the lion’s mouth!
Katherine Razzi recently posted..Boost That Resume

By: EntryHR.com: Get in. Move up!

EntryHR.com: Get in. Move up! — Fri, 14 May 2010 10:35:01 +0000

[...] Lauby, HR Bartender, writes a terrific post on Facebook Friending Policy. A must read for professionals and students alike about this important question – How does my [...]

By: HR Carnival « Entry HR Blog

HR Carnival « Entry HR Blog — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 01:06:41 +0000

[...] Lauby, HR Bartender, writes a terrific post on Facebook Friending Policy. A must read for professionals and students alike about this important question – How does my [...]

By: hr bartender

hr bartender — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:47:22 +0000

Thanks for commenting Joe. We tend to talk about Facebook in terms of professional colleagues learning about our personal lives. But as you mentioned, there could be an additional benefit of sharing your work with family (unless of course you’re a professional hit-man…ha.ha.)

By: Joe Lavelle

Joe Lavelle — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:34:40 +0000

Hi Sharlyn – I wish I had read this before I signed up for Facebook. I would have avoided the “friend everyone who requests” mistake and the resulting “is it politically incorrect to unfriend” someone for whatever reason.
For me, I now have decided to use Facebook for personal reasons and to expose my friends and family just a little to my professional side (blogging and writing). What others decided is neither right or wrong, they key is to have a strategy and stick with it…

I always enjoy stepping up to your bar and learning from you! Best wishes! Joe

By: hr bartender

hr bartender — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:43:03 +0000

I think more people are starting to realize the power of social media and, as such, recognizing the need to train employees on how to use the tools. Companies that try to take the approach of stopping people from using Facebook and Twitter are only going to get left behind.