Wedding Etiquette Forum

Clients as FB friends?

So part of my job is consulting (implementing ERP systems) and I see some of my clients regularly, especially in when we're in the middle of an implementation and during the post go-live phase and have gotten to know some of them on a more personal level. 

Tonight, one of my long standing clients added me to FB and I'm not sure if this crosses a professional line. I don't put anything on FB that I would want my grandmother or potential employer to see so I don't have anything to hide, but am not sure if this is appropriate.

Thoughts?

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Re: Clients as FB friends?

  • I wouldn't, but I'm pretty conservative like that.  I'm FB friends with my MIL (so I never put anything controversial on my page), but I still don't want my patients being my "friends."  It crosses the professional line, IMO.
  • I think this title should have been "To accept or not to accept friend request."  
    imageBabyFruit Ticker
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:c1af0e99-3fea-4321-a29a-9ab5dcf57c86">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I think this title should have been "To accept or not to accept friend request."  
    Posted by dnbeach12[/QUOTE]
    hahaha..
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  • I think it depends on you. My photographer friended me on her page, and as lame as it is, it gives me a lot of comfort in hiring her and getting to know her. I don't know how much stuff she blocks from me  or whatever, but it doesn't really matter. Most people don't even know you can set up Facebook that way.
  • I wouldn't. I think that it would be unprofessional.
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:8b122f70-e3cb-41ab-9837-4ebe1b167733">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Ghoti, I don't think she's talking about wedding vendors. 
    Posted by ILoveMilkDuds[/QUOTE]
    No, I'm not talking about vendors. Maybe I should have been more clear and stated that this is NWR.<div>
    </div><div>The woman that is trying to friend me is one of my clients at work. </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:8b122f70-e3cb-41ab-9837-4ebe1b167733">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Ghoti, I don't think she's talking about wedding vendors. 
    Posted by ILoveMilkDuds[/QUOTE]

    <div>And even if you were just using it as a comparison, I don't think wedding vendors are the same as clients. </div>
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  • edited April 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:3245be25-fb73-4651-9c49-f06b0dd19d5a">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Clients as FB friends? : And even if you were just using it as a comparison, I don't think wedding vendors are the same as clients. 
    Posted by dnbeach12[/QUOTE]
    I would be the client, the photographer would be like the consultant. I guess I'm not seeing the difference? Does it matter that it's not wedding related?<div>I still don't know the right way to answer, if you reject the client, it might seem rude, if you accept, you'd have to filter everything you say. Can you set up a "Jane Doe Consultant" page and have "fans" or whatever instead?</div><div>ETA nevermind, I don't think that would work. If she's a long time client and you've gotten more personal with each other, I think you could friend her if you want, or just tell her you keep your Facebook to family only.  Or be honest and tell her you're not comfortable "friending" a client, but that might create some tension...</div><div>Sorry, I'm absolutely no help :)</div>
  • mica178mica178 member
    5000 Comments Fourth Anniversary 5 Love Its
    edited April 2011
    I think it's fine, depending on your line of business.  Teacher, doctor, lawyer, consultant => definitely no.  Vendors probably want to be friends with clients to drum up more business.  

    Eta: social workers, psychologists, marriage counselors, probation officers, bail bond people, gosh, there are a lot of people who I think should not friend their clients.
  • edited April 2011
    Sorry I wasn't clear, I sent HER a friend since she didn't have an official "Photographer" page. She accepted. 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:e64b0fc7-1492-4caa-bab8-0b8d22c44381">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Clients as FB friends? : I would be the client, the photographer would be like the consultant. I guess I'm not seeing the difference? Does it matter that it's not wedding related? I still don't know the right way to answer, if you reject the client, it might seem rude, if you accept, you'd have to filter everything you say. Can you set up a "Jane Doe Consultant" page and have "fans" or whatever instead?
    Posted by Ghoti[/QUOTE]
    How I see the difference is that in this case I'm not self employed, where as a lot of wedding photographers are and part of their job is to get to know the couple in order to do the best job they can. Me doing my job to the best of my abilities doesn't involve getting to know my clients past what they need out of an ERP system to do their job on a day-to-day basis.<div>
    </div><div>
    </div>
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:5718f6b6-9f51-4749-9e71-e138d75a024a">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Clients as FB friends? : How I see the difference is that in this case I'm not self employed, where as a lot of wedding photographers are and part of their job is to get to know the couple in order to do the best job they can. Me doing my job to the best of my abilities doesn't involve getting to know my clients past what they need out of an ERP system to do their job on a day-to-day basis.
    Posted by achiduck[/QUOTE]
    Then don't friend her. Is your page private? I only have like, 40 friends on mine, all close friends and family (and now a couple vendors ha). Whenever someone from school I barely talk to wants to friend me, I just tell them that I keep it close and personal. 
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:77b69bf2-e3fa-4488-967c-27cee1f5deea">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: Clients as FB friends? : Then don't friend her. Is your page private? I only have like, 40 friends on mine, all close friends and family (and now a couple vendors ha). Whenever someone from school I barely talk to wants to friend me, I just tell them that I keep it close and personal. 
    Posted by Ghoti[/QUOTE]
    People I'm not friends with can search for me and send friend requests, but they can't see anything other then my profile pic/name until I approve them .<div>
    </div><div>I'm not really sure I'm comfortable having clients as friends. I'm always careful about what I say, but I feel like if I'd have to be even more careful with what I said if I was visiting/talking to the client that day. </div><div>
    </div><div>I've e-mailed my boss so we can come up with some kind of corporate policy as we don't currently have one that details situations like this. </div>
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  • Ooh good idea about emailing your boss. It probably should be a policy anyway. 
  • I personally never friend clients, I also don't accept when they ask. I do think it crosses a bit of a line and I don't want them knowing too much about me. Good Luck.
  • I don't even put coworkers as friends. Professional life should be separate from private life imo.
  • I also would not friend a customer or client on FB. I have a few select coworkers, but only those i see outside of work and consider friends, more than just coworkers. For professional contacts, I use LinkedIn, which is encouraged by work as its more of a professional networking site. That makes it easy to keep everyone in an appropriate place. If someone I know professionally sends me a FB invite, I decline and send a LinkedIn invite instead. Make sense?
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:57359ff5-792b-4450-86e2-05a6db10023f">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I also would not friend a customer or client on FB. I have a few select coworkers, but only those i see outside of work and consider friends, more than just coworkers. For professional contacts, I use LinkedIn, which is encouraged by work as its more of a professional networking site. That makes it easy to keep everyone in an appropriate place. If someone I know professionally sends me a FB invite, I decline and send a LinkedIn invite instead. Make sense?
    Posted by Brandiewine11[/QUOTE]
    We use LinkedIn too. Perhaps I'll see if she has it and do that instead. 
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  • I beleive there is a FB feature where if you can "private" you name, meaning if anyone looks for you on there you will not show.
     
    I agree with PP's I wouldn't accept them. If your company has a FB or twitter account refer them to that page instead.
  • inappropriate
  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_clients-fb-friends?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:2e4e28de-9847-4b74-b2a8-8f7c140a0d4aPost:60ad057c-5f87-4e98-81f6-9d93daf39561">Re: Clients as FB friends?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I beleive there is a FB feature where if you can "private" you name, meaning if anyone looks for you on there you will not show.   I agree with PP's I wouldn't accept them. If your company has a FB or twitter account refer them to that page instead.
    Posted by mob2689[/QUOTE]


    Yep, you can make yourself completely unsearchable.

    I have a private FB page and a work FB page. I am self employed and set it up that way a long time ago, but since I have been contracted with a church for quite some time now, I am very glad I did that way.
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