How Many Facebook Friends Do You Really Need?

Facebook has become one of the biggest social networking sites for catching up with old friends and making new ones. One of the key ways to connect on Facebook is through Facebook friends. Facebook offers friend suggestions, provides Facebook searches for current Facebook user friends, and allows others to send Facebook friend requests.

After awhile, Facebook friends can add up, allowing everyone from your old boss to your second cousin to see everything you post, providing a glimpse into your everyday life. So how many friends is too many? When does a Facebook status update become "too much information?" These are questions every Facebook user should ask when creating Facebook friends lists.

Choosing Friend Requests Wisely
One way to prevent having too many Facebook friends is to take the time to decide whether you want to accept a friend request. Young Facebook users should pay particular attention when an unknown person sends a Facebook friend request. Allowing a stranger to see your personal information and updates about your life is not always safe.

It may seem difficult to refuse a friend request, in which case you can always choose to leave the request in your Facebook friend request inbox. The other option is to delete the request outright.

Popularity Contest
Does having 3,254 Facebook friends improve your social status? Probably not, though some Facebook users do seem to play the Facebook friends numbers game, reaching for the most Facebook friends possible. While this can offer many the chance to network and meet new Facebook friends of friends or local Facebook users, it can also get to the point where you have so many friends that some of your closer Facebook friends get lost in the mix. Do you really want to see constant Facebook updates of barely familiar people who are playing Farmville? The more Facebook friends you have, the more status updates and activity updates you will have flow through your Facebook page.

Aunt Maggie Wasn't Supposed to See Those Facebook Pictures
A major "oops moment" can happen anytime someone tags a photo of you and posts it on Facebook. This runs the risk of allowing Facebook friend relatives, former bosses, or people you really don't want to see certain photos, complete access if they are on your Facebook friends list. Facebook friends generally have access to anything you post on Facebook, as well as photos other Facebook friends tag of you so keep this in mind when filtering who you want to be a Facebook friend.

The Infamous Facebook De-Friending
There comes a time in every Facebook user's social networking life when purging Facebook friends can become necessary. This action is often called a Facebook "de-friending." Despite the negative connotations surrounding Facebook de-friendings, the practice can be positive for those who realize they have too many Facebook friends.

One method some use to decide who to de-friend is to pay attention to who the active Facebook users are on your Facebook friends list. If a Facebook friend is no longer active on Facebook, they may be a Facebook de-friending candidate. Some Facebook users also come to realize that a Facebook friend is only using the Facebook friendship to find out the ongoing details of your personal life. This type of Facebook friend may also qualify for a Facebook de-friending.

The Right Number of Facebook Friends
Ultimately the correct number of Facebook friends is a personal choice. If you like having a large Facebook friend list, there is no right or wrong involved in the choice. Others may prefer weeding out Facebook friends who aren't close friends or family. The other option some Facebook users choose is to create Facebook friends lists and categories which can allow them to choose who sees what types of content.

Facebook can be one of the best ways to network with all kinds of friends. In the end, the choice is yours alone as to who qualifies to be on your select Facebook friends list.