Facebook Friends?

I've got a pretty diverse group of friends on Facebook. In terms of work related stuff, I am friends with customers, employees of mine, co-workers and different bosses, past and present. In terms of customers, it's been a good way to get to know them and have touch points. This is an interesting article that I got from Cyndi looking at the topic of Should your boss be your Facebook friend?

"If you work for a forward-thinking company whose entire staff is on Facebook, then your participation is the online equivalent of lunching with co-workers or a water cooler chat," says Patrice-Anne Rutledge, a social networking expert and author of "The Truth About Profiting from Social Networking."

"The advantage to connecting with a current or former boss on Facebook is the opportunity for more personalized networking. When you connect online, you get to know someone better," Rutledge says.

"You could discover a common interest in marathon running, foreign films or yoga, for example, that could help your boss get to know you better as a person. These personal connections can become a major asset when you're looking to move forward in your career or find a new job."

"If you use Facebook to air political rants, document your wild weekend escapades, post wacky photos or vent about your job, you should obviously have some concerns about letting your boss view this aspect of your life," Rutledge cautions. "But what's important to remember is that no online content is truly private, even if your intention is to share this information only with your Facebook friends. Facebook makes your profile viewable to anyone in the networks you belong to, even if you're not directly connected with or even know all the network members," Rutledge says.

You should be monitoring your online content as though your current and future boss can see it, even if they aren't on your buddy list.