If you were friendly with your supervisor, would you friend them on Facebook?

If you are likely to have drunken pictures (or the eqivalent) on your Facebook page, then don’t.

Probably not. As you say, she is first and foremost your supervisor.

No. But you can make separate accounts for just that purpose. I wish my young nephews and nieces would do that. I don’t think my older sisters like to see the underaged drunken barfing and side boob shots the kids put up.

Facebook offers too much information and if you are only merely friends via work, I’d leave it at that.

No. Facebook and work don’t mix. Even if you keep your posts light, they can find out way too much about you via your friends’ walls.

I would say no as well….your supervisor is your supervisor. It is alright to be friendly to them but a great deal of information is on fb and that has risks of conflict with your boss.

I had my boss try to friend me on Facebook——I didn’t accept. Maybe once I leave this job then yes, but not while I work there!

NO!!! DON’T DO IT!!! Sometimes “superiors” get an inflated head and its just a bad idea. Dodge the bullet because you never know if or when they will turn on you. Don’t give them any ammo.

Not at all. I’ve heard too many stories of people getting in trouble. One of my friends had friended her supervisor, and she made a comment disparaging her employer and was told not to do that again, or her employment would be in jeopardy. I think she found a way to unfriend her supervisor. The supervisor had actually been a close friend before she was promoted. It’s a shame that work comes between friends.

It’s not true any more (if it was ever true) that you can separate work and personal life. With cell phones and email and social networking, we’re on the job 24/7. I guess the rules will shake themselves out in the next few years as people get used to the significance of social networking. But right now, everything is up in the air. Work/personal. Bullying. Relationship status and when to change it. When to unfriend. How to feel when unfriended. Etc.

I already have. Just because you ‘friend’ a supervisor on Facebook doesn’t mean there will automatically be any impropriety going on. Of course, it might have different degrees of significance in different career fields also, I suppose.

I’m “friends” with my boss on Facebook. I rarely mention work on Facebook so I don’t feel like I have to watch what I say just incase he reads it. Also, he has never had a problem with us updating our status’ or profiles during work time providing, by the end of the day, our work is complete.

Never never never! The boundaries can become blurred, and if they do it can get messy.
Been there once, wouldn’t ever do it again.

Personally, I prefer to keep it simple. My boss is my boss, my friends are my friends. I have no desire to mix the two up.

No. You don’t shit where you eat, and you don’t eat where you shit.

She doesn’t have FB but if she did, I would friend her and put her on limited profile.

It depends on the nature of your facebook. I am proud of everything on my facebook: pictures of cool things I do, videos of my singing group, funny quips about my cat, etc. and I think being facebook friends with someone would only boost their opinion of me; show them positive sides of me that they didn’t know. This is why I’m facebook friends with bosses, the parents of kids I babysit, my great aunts, etc. etc. I see my facebook page as more of an extended resume. If you feel the same way, go for it. It could strengthen your relationship with your supervisor.

On the other hand, if your facebook portrays things that might seem negative (drunken/naked pictures, everything written in txt spk, perhaps, etc.) then hold off. Remember, you can always block your supervisor from posts. I have a special friends list of people who I don’t want to see certain posts, which I use on occasion.

This is really a matter of personal taste and depends on how you use facebook. It’s also a very new area of etiquette and there is no clear, universal answer. If there is any chance that you would say something that could have negative professional implications, then I would refrain from doing this.

However, if you use your facebook strictly professionally, such as using it as a professional tool, and you have close control over who posts on it, I can see adding your supervisor. But be careful about your settings—someone else might post something on your wall, or post a comment, and you have no control over these things. If you don’t trust 100% of your friends to keep it professional-safe, and you set your privacy controls to allow other people to post on your wall or post comments, then I would refrain from adding your supervisor in most cases.

I also can see adding your supervisor if you really do have a close bond of trust with this person. It really depends on what kind of relationship you have with the person. I can think of some academic advisors and bosses that I would be more than comfortable adding, but there are others I would refrain from adding.

You know your supervisor better than anyone else. personally, i would draw the line and not do this. i am amazed that your supervisor is that “chummy” with her co-workers.

I am basing my decision on the incident that happened with my daughter. she wanted to grow up with her children. this she did. BUT, when it came time to punish her children for a bad deed, her children did not respect her. they assumed it was all still fun and games.

A supervisor has to put certain restrictions in place, in order to do their job, to supervise.

Your co-workers are okay, but i would give some serious thought about your supervisor.

First of all. Even if you don’t have her as a friend. Do you have your “Facebook privacy” set all for only friends?. If not you should really check into that. In another note, adding your supervisor is not what so ever a great idea. So politely don’t add her. Facebook provides way to much information that others don’t realize is there.

No, because then you would have to censor yourself, and risk your personal business effecting your work situation

Everyone at my old job, including the supervisors, were Facebook friends. I just made sure to add my supervisor to the “Limited Profile” list which I have made very censored. I’d say it couldn’t hurt to befriend him/her, as long as you’re comfortable with what s/he will see.

If we were friends out side of work as well and kept our friendship and work relationship separate, then yes I would. If not, that is what I have a LinkedIn (or something like that) profile for work stuff.

If you’re really good friends with her and are able to keep the social aspect and the professional aspect separate; I think that it is perfectly okay to friend your supervisor. Have your other coworkers friended him/her? Plus, it’s good to be cordial/friendly with your supervisor.

Absolutely not. It simply isn’t a good idea.

Hindsight is 20/20. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn’t befriend co-workers on Facebook. It’s not that I have posted anything to hide…I just am not interested in what they socialize about, and they probably feel the same way about me. LinkedIn fills the need to stay in touch with co-workers.

Sure, I have most of the people I’ve every worked with/for on a specially created facebook account. What’s shared there is controlled but a little bit of personality gets in the mix and we come to appreciate more about each other. Aside from one particular mf, there’s no one I can think of that I’d turn down a request from.

No. I don’t friend anyone from work, even if I really like them.