Comments on: Your Boss Is Not Your Friend

By: Tanya

Tanya — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:38:24 +0000

URGH! My boss totally added me – which would be fine if I liked the guy…

Me and my coworkers all instantly send messages to each other “stop bad talking! He’s on here!”

A good aspect of adding your employees is that they can no longer bad talk you, the company, or talk about other job offers they encounter

By: Jane

Jane — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 21:10:15 +0000

Yeah, I’m late to this one (I’ve been out of town!) but:
1) I don’t think people can tell when you deny them on Facebook. I believe *nothing* happens.
2) I looked Rebecca up on MySpace while I was interviewing at SEOmoz. Her incriminating photos were awesome.
3) If you block people on Facebook, not only can they not see your profile, but you can’t see their’s. Lame, Facebook. Very very lame. Just because I don’t want bitchnuts ex-roommate looking at me doesn’t mean I don’t want to gawk at her miserable existence.
4) If you’re Rae’s or my employee (not that I have ever had any, but for future reference), don’t mess with us on Facebook. I have dug more sneaky little holes in that site than Mark Zuckerberg will ever dream of. I had my first Facebook fix in nine days last night. It felt so good…

By: Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller

Daniel Sitter, Idea Seller — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:52:50 +0000

Boss and friend? It really depends upon the company and what kind of organization it is.

In a larger corporate environment, the answer is no. The boss is the boss and you are the subordinate. In very small offices, the boss/owner and his few employees may indeed be quite friendly sharing common experiences and family events.

In general, I believe that it is far better in the long run to keep personal and professional lives separate. The boss is not your friend.

I think that Lisa has the best idea reflected in her comment!

By: Gids

Gids — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 22:12:05 +0000

Spot on netiquette advice – thank you, but what do you do if your boss has famous friends?

By: SEO Woman

SEO Woman — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:11:31 +0000

A few years ago, my boss and I both played Everquest II. It’s kinda hard to call in sick when your boss knows you were up at 2 a.m. slaying dragons.

By: Will Critchlow

Will Critchlow — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 06:34:32 +0000

Tom – yeah, I’m listening. My employees tend to friend me. Must be ‘cos I’m great.

By: randfish

randfish — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 00:29:56 +0000

I think the strategy here is to say – oh, sorry, I didn’t receive it – then run, create a new profile that’s neutered and safe, and send the friend invitation to the boss from that account.

It’s not going to work on super-savvy, SEO, social media marketer types, but with 99% of bosses, you’ll be in the clear.

BTW – Rebecca; flip flops for that dinner party… not cool, dude.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:50:12 +0000

DANGIT!
I knew Robert was a big old faker!! And all this time I thought he was my friend.
Man Lisa, way to crush my spirit.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:26:19 +0000

Darren — Hmm, I’ll talk to Bruce about that and see what he thinks.

By: Darren McLaughlin

Darren McLaughlin — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:24:16 +0000

Just one more reason to not have a boss.