Facebook is a veritable social minefield sometimes. It's full of high school "friends" you never really liked in high school, ex-boyfriends you never wanted to see again, and cousins who share hateful diatribes against entire groups of people. Ah, social media how I hate love you!
Of course, it has its good side. There are people I knew in college with whom I never became close that I find charming and hilarious on Facebook. Personally, I LOVE seeing baby photos, and seeing how my friends' families have grown and their lives have changed. For a busy working mom, it's an excellent way to stay in touch with a lot of friends all at the same time. Because of that, I am a very active Facebook user.
But there are certain people I just don't want to be friends with and, generally, I think should be set to limited profile (or not friended at all). Here are the 8 people no one should friend on Facebook:
1.) Your Babysitter/Nanny: I don't need to see her in a bikini and feel bad about myself. Also, it would only make me paranoid: Is she is Facebooking when with my kids? Also, if we were friends on Facebook, I wouldn't spew about her to my friends with privacy. What fun is that?
2.) Personal Trainer: Nope. He doesn't need to know I ate that whole cheesecake and derailed his work. Better we just hang in the gym, thanks!
3.) Your Priest or Rabbi: They don't need to see our sins. Or photos of us in bathing suits. Or anything our friends tag us in. Just no.
4.) Your Husband's Ex-Girlfriend: This should be obvious, but in case it's not, this is a big no. Why do you ever need to go down that comparison spiral? Is she cuter than me? Is she smarter? Is her new hubby hotter? Just stop!
5.) Your Boss: It's just awkward. Talking about work on Facebook is generally a no-no anyway, but this is a bad idea.
6.) Your Insane Ex: This may seem like closure and like a great plan that will make you guys be friends. But it won't. Trust me. He's crazy and he will STILL be crazy after he unfriends you a few weeks from now.
7.) Your Baby Daddy/Mama: Too. Much. Drama. I have seen it a million times. Those thinly veiled, passive insults and barbs thrown back and forth in status updates.
8.) Your High School Bully: Look, you didn't like him in high school when he was calling you names or pushing you in a locker. So you SURE as hell aren't going to like him now. Even if his life is a mess and it gives you a thrill to be able to watch and mock him, this is just bad news. Hit "ignore" on his request and put high school behind you.
Are there people you would never friend on Facebook?
Image via Thos003/Flickr
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Comments 14
My pastors are on facebook and I love it. Not only are they people I like in their own rights, but they have great taste in TV and music, he appreciates my Star Wars jokes, and she agrees with me that gift bags are cheating. In turn, I'm always laughing at stories about their kids and sharing things my kids do that drive us crazy. OTOH, yesterday when I found out my last grandmother died, she was the first one to offer sympathy and prayers. They are some of my best facebook friends. I know it's a big job for them, but they do it superbly.
I suppose if I were trying to pretend something, I would add them but change settings so they didn't see things they shouldn't. But I don't want to live that way. I'm not perfect, but neither are they.
My boss and I are on FB but she's not an uptight asshole, she's very much like my coworkers and myself.
One person I wouldn't friend is my kid's teacher! I want her to keep that image in her head of me and not see my parenting fails that I fess up to or the summer days we all spend on our dock drinking LOL
Well, I'm not friends with any of them, but I am friends with my OB/GYN. She's the greatest and doesn't treat people like "just another patient".
There are definitely exceptions but this is a pretty good list.
I had a trainer from work friend me but I didnt accept. I didnt want to hurt her feelings but I do not censor myself on facebook and I post a lot about politics and things I am passionate about like legalizing marijuana, etc...things like that. It just seemed possibly risky job-wise. Id want to friend my babysitter just be sure she wasnt putting pic of my kids on FB. I occasionally put up pics (nothing like I used to) but I do not want, nor would I apporve of someone else doing it. IDK what kind of security settings they have or who they know, etc.
I don't allow any former students to be my friends no matter how much I liked them.
. I only have two former parents as friends--- people I really, really liked personally and had a good personal relationship with when I was teaching and they were parents of kids in my class.