work life balance

we’ve been talking about all this work life stuff for ages (external to FB) and it’s just dawned on me that FB blurs the edges like nothing has been able to do before. I stated in reply post recently that with my friends on FB, there are some that I know really well, there’s my family, some through business, some that I kinda know and others that I read about (cause I’m interested). There’s also my work colleagues. In using FB, I’m sure we’ve all been through the same dilemma – “do I let the people I work and network with in as a friend or only as a limited profile friend?” It’s right when Mari posed the question recently “do you have a clearly defined personal policy for requesting and accepting friends on Facebook?

A friend is a friend, but at work we want our colleagues to respect us (well it’s good when friends and family do too but stay with me). The business world is a more professional environment. So when someone asks to be added as a FB friend from work – do I immediately let them see everything about me?

I’ve just started a new job (3mths in). The transition into the work social face to face network is very normal but to share a story: I was having a coffee meeting with my web developer (Phil) and we ran into a manager from my office. It turns out that Phil knows this manager from school. A bit of a chat then we all move on and Phil laughingly says “he’s in business mode, he’s usually far more relaxed”.

So, here I am really blurring the edges and blending my work life through the FB channel. Accepting friends from all corners. Is this right? Is this just life and the way we’re moving? Would love others opinions… has anyone written any articles?

I guess I could write it another way. Does a business community really belong on FB?

original: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=7955602061&id=6397284684&index=13