To Friend or Not to Friend: 'Friending' Your Boss and Co-Workers

Before I begin, let's get this straight, Facebook has spread to millions upon millions of people, kids, teens, adults, and even some seniors.

We can find just about everybody on Facebook now-a-days, including our bosses and co-workers. And with a simple click of a button, our personal lives and our prefessional lives can forever be intertwined in an uncomfortable and awkward state...or maybe not. 

What are the pros and the cons of friending your boss and co-workers? Should we do it or shouldn't we? 

Well, the (incredibly cheesy) answer is "It depends." But in this case, it really does. For me, I go to a school with hundreds of kids and I am Facebook friends with >90% of them (Yes, I said Facebook friends and not just "friends" because we all know that I can't possibly talk to 900+ people, BUT I do know all of them and I enjoy keeping in touch with them all, but that is for a whole other blog). My point being, with so many profiles at my fingertips and photos, I can get an indepth view on just how responsible and mature these people are. Some are extremely well-kempt with all professional and appropriate pictures and statuses that remain clean, while some are more on the naughty list. They have pictures of themselves smoking, drinking, partying and completely getting wasted.

This being said, it really does depend on how well-kempt your Facebook is. Of course, family pictures and pictures with friends are acceptable, but a picture of you "going to town" or "having a smoke" is definitely not, and trust me, I've seen pictures and many inappropriate captions before. It is sad to see some of my Facebook friends be so careless about what they post. 

So my advice to the public? Clean it out. Unfortunately, it's even easier now to find EVERYTHING you've every posted or liked, especially with Timeline. You can go back YEARS and see what you posted when you were younger. For me, I spent a good afternoon, almost 3 hours, going all the way back to 2009 and weeding out all the posts that I didn't want anyone to see. Sure, it took a while but it definitely saved me from losing respect from my co-workers and boss. I didn't want my co-workers and my boss finding posts that I posted when I was 12.

Now that I'm 15, I did friend my co-workers and my boss, but I know 100% that my profile is completely clean. It gives me a sense of pride that I know that nothing on my Facebook can be used against me. So now, I don't even need to weed anymore. Everything I post and write, I think about who's watching or who will watch, and I make sure it's appropriate. 

And lastly, to friend or not to friend? First, make sure everything on your Facebook is clean and PG, if not G rated. And then if you really want to mix your two lives together, go right ahead. It gave me a better look into my colleagues' lives and increases my relationship with them. It also provides me with a great network to associate myself with, if I ever need to in the future. I'm only 15 so I know that I will, probably, eventually, need to use this great networking tool for my later career. 

To all the parents on Patch, I would highly recommend viewing your child's Facebook or letting your child know that with Timeline, nothing is hidden. And that if your child has anything inappropriate, he/she needs to delete it or hide it immediately. As a child, we don't really think about the posts we post or the people we friend. If we know the person, we usually just click "accept," and let it be, but we don't realize that when we click "accept," we are accepting this person to see everything we've ever done. But with one click of a button, your career could either be over or grow a little bit more. 

Thank you so much for reading. Please leave your feedback down below. Let me know if you friended your colleagues or accepted their request. Also, if you have any topics or subjects you would like my to write about, from the view point of a high schooler, please comment below. Thank you again!