Since Facebook has become one of the fastest growing social networks in the world, many people are questioning exactly who they should befriend on this social networking site.
Facebook has become a wonderful way to reconnect with old friends, neighbors, classmates, relatives and former co-workers. But when it comes to connecting with people you work with, you might want to give friending a second thought.

According to a recent issue of HR Advisor, a survey conducted by OfficeTeam, a staffing service that places highly skilled administrative specialists, befriending people at work, especially your boss, can be very awkward. A phone survey with randomly selected executives from some of the nation’s largest employers, indicated that 48% were uncomfortable with being friended by someone they managed and 47% of them felt the same way about being friended by their bosses.

The feeling of discomfort extended beyond employees and bosses to include peers, vendors and clients.

What execs said about their comfort level in friending …

“The line between personal and professional has grown increasingly blurred as more people use social networking websites for business purposes,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. He said that managers, even if they aren’t going to connect with business contacts on social networking sites, need to be prepared to deal with requests for friending and such.

Hosking advises managers and employees to familiarize themselves with all the different options and controls social media sites offer. Use privacy settings and create different friend or contact lists to control how—and with whom—information is shared. “Individuals should classify their professional contacts into a ‘work’ list and limit what personal details this group can view,” said Hosking.

Here are some common Facebook situations professionals may encounter—and some recommendations for handling them:

• An Embarrassing photo of you surfaces on the site. Untag yourself and change your privacy settings so photos are viewable only by your close friends. Be aware of situations that could be potentially embarrassing when you are being photographed.

• Someone makes a friend request but you don’t want to connect with them. You may have to accept requests from co-workers to avoid slighting them, but add them to your “work” list and adjust the privacy settings so you can separate your work contacts from your personal contacts.

• You’re considering including your boss in your friends list. Think twice before reaching out to your boss. It could become very awkward for both of you.

• Joining a variety of groups. You should only join groups that really interest you. Keep the groups you join separate between your personal life and your professional life. Be very careful of comments you make on groups, especially your professional ones; people you come into contact with in the course of your job may be a members of the same groups.

• Fan Pages. Fan pages on Facebook are visible to anyone who can view your profile, avoid becoming a fan of any page you are uncomfortable sharing with anyone in your network.

• Online quizzes. Stop and think for before taking online quizzes and posting the results to your Facebook page. Do you really want your professional contacts to know which Disney character you most resemble?

• Political and religious views. Political and religious views can potentially create uncomfortable situations and slant the way people think of you. Therefore they should only be shared with your personal contacts and not your professional contacts.

Bottom line here-enjoy your networking on sites like Facebook, but be savvy about it.

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