To Friend Or Not To Friend

It is a common fear among users of Facebook and other social media Web sites – how to deal with a friend request from your boss or employee. A new survey by Liberty Mutual’s Responsibility Project finds that 56% of Americans say it is irresponsible to be friends with a boss and 62% say it is wrong to be friends with an employee. But 76% believe it is acceptable to be friends with a workplace peer. Other findings:



· When using social media at work, 73% say it is not appropriate to update your Facebook status, 82% say you should not upload photos, 72% believe tweeting is wrong, and 79% say it is not acceptable to watch online videos. However, 66% say it is fine to check your personal e-mail while at work.

· Americans are split on whether companies should review the social media profiles of job candidates; 52% say it is appropriate and 48% say it is unacceptable.

· More than 40% of parents believe it is irresponsible to post photos of children online; 31% monitor their children’s Facebook accounts, and almost 70% are friends with their children on Facebook or MySpace; 72% limit the time their children spend on social media networks.

· More than 80% of parents say that teachers should not interact with students online, but they are split when it comes to whether social media should be used as evidence to punish students’ behavior.

· Nearly three-quarters of Americans agree that it is “egotistical and a waste of time” to develop a Facebook page for a pet.