Rules for Sending Facebook Friend Requests to Strangers

It's probably happened to you several times. You receive a Facebook Friend request from a stranger. You're slightly flattered. After all, some random person in the universe seems to think you're interesting enough to befriend. You may have even considered "friending" an appealing stranger yourself. Facebook (and other social sites) are fantastic networking tools. But sending out random requests to people with whom you hope to connect is often frowned upon. That isn't to say that it can't be done. Nonetheless, some guidelines for this kind of behavior exist.

Rule #1: Don't "Blind Friend" people.

"Blind Friending" is when you send a request to an arbitrary individual with no explanation as to who you are, or why you're asking to be added to the Friend List. At the very least, you should send a message with your request so that the other person knows that you're not some random psycho (assuming that you're really not some random psycho.)

Rule #2: Check in with mutual friends first.

The conversation should probably go something like this: "Hey [insert Friend name here], I noticed So-and-So on your list. Can you give him/her the heads-up that I'm adding them as a friend?" Arrange the verbiage however you see fit. Just know that Facebook Friend "poaching" has the potential to make things really weird for you (and your buddy) in cyberspace.

Rule #3: Have a valid reason for Friending someone.

It's easy to tell if a virtual stranger has many of the same interests. But mutual interests alone do not a Friendship make. In fact, sending hit and miss requests may make you look desperate, or like a pervert hoping to use the site to pick up random chicks. In addition to having mutual interests, you should also have a good reason for wanting to befriend the individual. And if so---put that reason in a message to the recipient.

Rule #4: Consider your own privacy.

The person you wish to befriend may have no problem getting cozy with you online. But make certain that you take into account your own privacy issues. If your new Facebook pal has 3,000+ Friends, you run the risk of revealing things (inadvertently) to countless other strangers. Sure, this is a rampant phenomenon on the popular social networking site. But it just goes to show that sometimes your innocent intentions may come back to haunt you.

SOURCES:

www.facebook.com

www.psychologytoday.com


More From This Contributor:

Block, Friend, or "Monitor": The Facebook Friend Challenge

Five Reasons Not to Accept Facebook Friend Requests from Strangers

The Art of the Cryptic Facebook Status