CREDIT: MELANIE ANDERSON
The average student has several pending friend requests on Facebook, which may include teachers, bosses and classmates.

Receiving a Facebook friend request from a teacher or boss can be the recipe for a social media meltdown. If you don't "accept" the request and see them in the classroom or at work the next day, it can be extremely awkward; if you do accept, you risk them viewing your entire profile — including pictures from last weekend's bar adventures. It's common nowadays for students to connect with teachers online via email or FanshaweOnline, but is it okay to follow a teacher on Twitter or add them as a Facebook friend?

According to Anabel Quan- Haase, an associate professor in MIT and Sociology at Western University, sometimes students just feel comfortable enough to share that online experience. "Teachers may often teach large classes and have amazing personalities, and so students value them as teachers and also see them as friends — so, I mean, it's not uncommon for a student to invite a teacher to become a Facebook friend." She added that it often makes a difference whether the student is in high school, in college or in grad school.

Katrina Joosse is a student in Fanshawe's Law Clerk program who keeps in touch with a high school teacher. "I wrote my (final) exam, and before I was even out of the school, my phone went off and it was a friend request from my teacher. She was adamant, like, 'I won't add a student,' but after exams, then she added people. We've talked a few times and I've gone to the school to visit her."

How open you are to sharing your Facebook page will often depend on how censored your profile is. As students get older, they often choose to "cleanse" their social media profiles, ridding them of anything they deem "inappropriate." Facebook users can also choose to add a friend, but only allow them to view their limited profiles.

When searching for a new job, how you present yourself online has become incredibly important. "I know, as an employer myself, one of the first things you do is check out their Facebook page and see what kind of public image they have, especially in my field — credibility is everything," said Jeffrey Reed, a professor in the Public Relations and Corporate Communication program at Fanshawe. He added that it's good for students to learn how to use social media in a more professional manner, and "it's a good learning experience for them because it teaches them, (that) you may still be in school, but now you're trying to brand yourself as a professional. So they have to watch what they tweet ... watch what pictures they're posting online."

Electrical Techniques student Derek Speer said he would never add a boss on Facebook. "Definitely not someone who's employing me because it's personal and I don't want them to use it against me to have me fired; I definitely put my settings on private."

Fanshawe Radio Broadcasting grad Chris Czombos added that if you keep your profile professional, you should be fine. "I think it's okay, depending on your Facebook page. Mine is just radio-related, basically."

Once you've landed a new job, should you add your co-workers or boss on Facebook? "It depends on if it was a cool boss or not," said Garrett Elson, a student in the Construction Carpentry Techniques program at Fanshawe. "If it wasn't, if it was one of those hard-ass bosses giving you shit, I'd be like, 'No, have a nice day, decline.' But, if they were nice, then for sure (I'd add them), but usually not."

Facebook focuses on relationships between friends and family through the posting of images and visible or private messages, it is a lot more personal than other social media sites such as Twitter or LinkedIn. "Facebook is totally different (from Twitter)," said Quan- Haase. "I think students feel that Facebook is their private space where it's much more to do with what they do when they're not on campus. Which is fine, but my sense is that they may not feel that comfortable letting their professors see this network site."

Jim Van Horne is a professor and coordinator of the Broadcast Journalism and TV News programs at Fanshawe. "Facebook I don't find as professional as Twitter." He is an avid Twitter user, and he stressed the importance of it, especially in the news world. "Twitter has revolutionized news — you cannot be in what we do and not be really up on Twitter and Twitter trends, knowing exactly the sites to follow locally and nationally." He does follow students and former students on Twitter, and he has many students following him as well. "I do occasionally tweet at students basically as a communication tool — it's usually about newsy issues," he added.

Quan-Haase also uses Twitter to communicate with students. "Even more so (with Twitter and LinkedIn), I always encourage my students to follow me on Twitter — I sometimes even follow them. Twitter's a great way to communicate with your students; sometimes what I encounter online I'll tweet about it and often my students will send me things."

Brittany Sutherland is a Marketing student at Centennial College, and she said that creating online relationships with teachers could prove beneficial in the future. "If you have a good relationship with them (your teacher), add them. You never know if they can help you with jobs in the future."

Van Horne said he often uses social media to help students with their job hunt. "I've had students add me. I use it for jobs; if I find a job, I tweet it to inform students. I want my students to know about the jobs out there."

Van Horne said it's important to stay professional regardless of how you're communicating. "Social media sites are just an extension of personal relationships, so I would never say anything to a student on Facebook or Twitter that I wouldn't say to them face-to-face."

But Quan-Haase argued that sometimes it's easier to have a more casual relationship online. "Often the same kinds of barriers we find in face-to-face conversations are no longer there in texting and computer-based communication."

Each individual has their own opinion of what an online relationship entails, which can sometimes create an awkward situation. Think before you connect online — keep that same level of professionalism that you would with an in-person relationship.