Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Facebook Friending

Facebook is hard. I don't mean it takes braininess, because it doesn't. Maybe just the opposite, in fact. It does require judgement, however, which makes it hard. Who has that anymore?

How hard can it be to decide who you want to "friend"? (That's a new verb, incidentally.) Not hard, basically, but who initiates the friending?

For example, my peers aren't on Facebook in throngs. If they were, then I'd friend them. Unless, of course, I've not seen them since high school and maybe then we weren't exactly friends anyway. Then I'd probably not friend them. Easy, cut and dried.

But I was a teacher. Does a student take the initiative and friend me? Many have and I appreciate it and reciprocate. But what about the student who is a little shy in the face of
somebody they'd see as an authority figure? Does a teacher friend them? Sometimes, if they were friendly together while in class. However, might students be reluctant to openly friend a teacher who taught them religion? Absolutely, if they have any sense and if it's possible they might reveal things or say things that could be difficult to say in front of someone they've discussed morals, doctrines and scriptures with. I hate to put former students in a dilemma like that, so I generally don't if I have any doubts.

I don't suppose I'm alone in this dilemma. Social protocol often gives me trouble anyway and this one isn't much different. But I'd like to hear what you think.

3 comments:

Annie said...

personally, i have not friended a teacher. Not that I don't want to, I just haven't felt the need to.

But I agree, facebook is hard! It's like so many sides of you together on 1 site! I have families, friends (new and old), and people i know virtually! weird right? Sometimes it's information overload.

ARasi said...

My friend just told me about a book she found called "Facebook for Dummies"-I havn't read it, but am curious about whether a book like that goes into the wierd social facebook stuff-which I agree is sometimes hard.

Wendy said...

Facebook is weird