Oct 2010
Making friends
08/10/10 11:18 Filed in: Social networks
Technology has affected our human interactions. I remember when I was a kid - I would see another kid, go up to them, and say "Wanna be my friend?". I don't think I was ever denied. It was so simple.
I was not one of the first to jump onto the social network, but I've gotten addicted to it. I try to explain it away and make it seem like I don't really use it that much, but who am I kidding?
So there is the new "friend etiquette" . It's not about being friends in real life, it's about being friends online. On top of everything else we have to manage, now we have to manage our friend list. So what is the social network friend etiquette?
Again, I like my social network - it's an easy way to disseminate information to a large group of friends at once. But who are my friends on-line? Do I even like them all? Why are they on my friend list? These are the rules I go by for adding friends to my social network
I was not one of the first to jump onto the social network, but I've gotten addicted to it. I try to explain it away and make it seem like I don't really use it that much, but who am I kidding?
So there is the new "friend etiquette" . It's not about being friends in real life, it's about being friends online. On top of everything else we have to manage, now we have to manage our friend list. So what is the social network friend etiquette?
Again, I like my social network - it's an easy way to disseminate information to a large group of friends at once. But who are my friends on-line? Do I even like them all? Why are they on my friend list? These are the rules I go by for adding friends to my social network
- I have to personally know them. I'm not trolling the internet to increase my friend #. Really, I'm not in a competition to have the most friends
- I have to have a connection with them. Just because I was introduced to someone, does not mean I want to invited them into my personal network. Do I want an acquaintance to know that "I just had the best margarita"? Why would they care?
- I don't add friends of friends without checking with my friend first. ESPECIALLY when it is my girlfriend and it's their guy friend. Seriously, girl rules still apply in cyberspace - you don't make friends with your girlfriend's boyfriend/ex/guy friend outside of your relationship with your girlfriend. Always check with your real friend first before you add their friends. If you add everyone you meet at a party, you may find you are not invited to parties in real life because it's awkward that you've befriend random strangers.
- Don't read too much into the friend list. If there is a friend on a list, are they really your friend? You see that you have mutual friends - are they better friends than you? You deleted a friend, do you ask others to delete them too? Seriously, we have more important things to think about. You "friend" list does not define your friendships.
- Keep work and personal separate. I may be friends with my managers at work, but they are not "friends" on my social network. It's a line I'm not willing to cross.