Facebook anyone? (facebook.com)

Member Name: Castelbranco

Product:	facebook.com
Date:	21/04/09 (133 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Networking

Disadvantages: How to say no to non friends

Facebook is a very popular website for networking and socializing.

I became a member of Facebook nearly 3 years ago, I would say "due to peer pressure" Most of my mates and friends are and were already on it, and I realized that there was a good deal of social scene going on Facebook. Or, to say it better, a lot of preparation for real social activities.

One of the features we use a lot is in fact the possibility of inviting friends and contacts to dinner parties, parties, and any kind of activity we deem worth promoting. There is a nice feature on Facebook where you can invite your friends to a party and you can also see who is going there, who has accepted the invitation and who is thinking about it.

Facebook is meant to keep you in touch with your friends, however many people seem to take the meaning of friends a bit too extensively and it is hard to draw the line. When I initially signed up, I wanted to have only my real friends on Facebook, also because if I put up photos of me on a beach, I do not want people I have only met once in my life to see me in that situation. I like to protect my professional image.

Talking about professional image, I am very wary of both my circle of friends and the image I load up on Facebook. The last thing I want is one of those ladies working in our HR to find out how naughty I am in my free time. This is why I tend to have only trusted friends in my circle of friends, but some time this causes some problems because you meet new people at a party and these days it is so common to say "oh, nice meeting you, are you on Facebook? I will add you to my friends" I find hard to say no and not offend anyone.

Summary: A mixed bag