Not to long ago I received some great advice on how to manage facebook friend requests from people you don’t know. I will pass along the tactful technique here.

When you receive a request from someone you don’t know and they look like they are reaching out to you other than for the simple reason of “liking your profile picture” you may want to explore who and what they are. In today’s world of business and connections, facebook does provide one more tool for expanding your resources.

So, I like to look at their wall, maybe Goggle them, and then I will send them a message (without adding them as a friend yet) and say:

“Hi, I appreciate your interest in wanting to be my friend. I do, however, reserve this space for people I have met. So, if there is something I can help you with or if you would like to make my acquaintance let me know. All the best!”

Usually this weeds out the people who are truly interested in knowing you for you and also may want to link up for business reasons. I have always received very gracious and understanding replies from the response I have stated above. It is an excellent way to keep those modes of communication open while still respecting your virtual personal space.