Frolleagues: Friend or Foe?

I finally joined the world of online social networking sites with a myspace page several years ago. I couldn’t really get into it because I’ve never felt comfortable having all of my personal information out there for anyone to find. I like to keep most of the people who aren’t in my close circle at varying levels of information-sharing.

About a year ago I joined the world of facebook, which is much more entertaining than myspace (and a lot less weirdly flashy and pink when it comes to people’s pages). After friending several really close pals, I realized I needed criteria for determining whether someone would be a “friend” or not. I don’t mean to be a snob, I just don’t like the idea of 600 more or less random people thinking that we’re friends. Or being able to see what I’m doing. A guy I dated for two weeks in college doesn’t need to know I have a terrible cold and am lying in bed all day. Again, it’s back to that whole information-sharing bit. So I created the following, probably very weird, criterion:
-If I have never seen you first thing in the morning, in your jammies, or in some sort of compromising situation, then you don’t make the cut. (don’t ask, it was the best I could come up with).

This kept my list at a very respectable 18 for a long time. Eighteen friends, woohoo! Eighteen people who wrote on my wall, cared what I was doing, and got tagged in all my pictures. I seemed to have this facebook thing well under control.

Unlike with myspace, I put my actual name on my facebook page (the myspace page has the dog’s name. Good luck finding me – the whole point!). This wasn’t a problem until I got a friend request from a supervisor at work. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO DO ABOUT PEOPLE AT WORK. So I said yes, feeling very pressured to do so. Then more requests followed (thank you, People You Might Know Tool). I reluctantly became friends with all of them, but I feel now like I really have to restrict what I say. Isn’t the whole point of facebook to go out and say “this is ME! Like it or not, this is the GM that you’re friends with?” Well now I can never say

GM is……in an alcohol-induced coma
OR.
GM is……..posting her resume online!
OR
GM hates the bitches at work

Oh no, instead I have to say things like

GM is still at work! (total lie, I hate my job most days and manage to slip out under the pretense of riding the bus or having a meeting across town – not that anyone notices anyway).

So, for all of you facebookers out there with frolleagues, be careful of what you say. Or better yet, figure out how to stay hidden! And if you ever see the message GM is still at work, know that’s code for GM is posting her resume online!