Building a network can be done quickly. That does not mean good judgment goes out the window.
It is easy to get caught up in the excitement of joining a new site and wanting to add all the people you know.
The downside to this enthusiasm is “over-friending.” This means adding people indiscriminately no matter how well you do or do not know the person.
Research suggests that we can know about 150 people before our relationships become less meaningful and more tenuous. Adding more people also means more updates to follow and more interactions to manage.
You will see members with hundreds of friends. This does not mean the person is exceedingly popular – unless he or she is a high-profile figure – but usually reveals a person who confuses numbers with popularity.
Only you know how many connections are right for you. My recommendation is to add gradually, assess for a period, then remove the ones who do not bring value.
How do you judge value? If the person is constantly suggesting you become a Fan of various Pages, or suggesting you should join various Groups, or sending you requests for “bits of flair” or “farm animals” (taken from popular games on Facebook), then the person is more a source of annoyance than value.
If you are concerned about the person seeing that you removed the connection, you can also Hide their updates from your Wall to reduce the status update clutter.
In short, be considerate by adding only people you know in real life and or who agreed to friend you online.
Did Someone Take It Too Far?
Are you guilty of over-friending? Have you been a victim of a drive-by friending? Share your story. We’ll bring the coffee and wine. Post your story in the Comments section for a response.