As convenient as it is, Facebook freaks me out in a lot of ways. Which is why I try to keep my involvement on it pretty benign. Some people on the other hand, live out their every though, action and emotion through their status updates, which go out to everyone they’ve ever known because they are Facebook friends with everyone they’ve ever known.
I have one such friend who recently learned his lesson when he friended (yup, it’s a verb now) his own boss and suddenly felt incredibly constrained with what he could post on Facebook (more on that below). And then you can’t very well un-friend someone without looking like an ass.
So before you get yourself into any situations that you’ll regret, read this list of people who you should never be Facebook friends with:
1. That girl you kinda knew in college
I know that after a certain amount of time, anyone who reminds you of that precious freshman year dorm building is suddenly dear to your heart but trust me…if you weren’t actually friends with this person, all you’re going to end up with are a bunch of status updates you don’t care about and annoying invitations to events in a city you don’t even live in. Truth: you will never talk to this person.
2. Your boss
Remember my aforementioned friend who friended his boss? Well, he realized the error of his ways when he called in sick one day and went on an epic (I know because I was there!) hiking trip with his buddies. Okay, not the most honest thing to do, but hey, the ability to call in sick every now and then and go off for a day of fun is something we’re all entitled to.
Sadly for him, he forgot about the online proximity of his employers and posted tons of pictures from that day. Yeah, he doesn’t have that job anymore. And believe me, his current boss will never make the friends list.
3. That guy you went out with that one time
I’m Facebook friends with most of my exes, but then again I’m also real-life friends with some of them, so I’m definitely not about to tell you to steer clear of that area. However, if you only went out once or twice and they really never became an important part of your life, there’s no reason at all why they should be part of your everyday Facebook existence.
Their presence will only serve to remind you during your sad, single times that maybe, just maybe it wouldn’t worked out (it wouldn’t have) if you hadn’t been so busy/distant/crazy/ugly (you weren’t).
4. Old teachers
We all like to think that, at some point, we reach this glorious point of adulthood where we no longer look upon our old teachers as superior authority figures; they’re just fellow people, with whom we used to have a student-teacher relationship. Yes, yes, this makes us feel quick grown up, doesn’t it?
Well, go volunteer with children or get your maturity kicks some other way because contact with high school teachers should really be limited to reunions. You might think you’re super-evolved but the first time you see bikini vacation pictures of old Mrs. Chemistry Teacher, you’ll be sorry.
