"friends"

So, I am slightly addicted to Facebook. Not in the have to play Farmville or Mafia Wars or get in pillow fight/water balloon fight/snowball fight kind of way, but just have to get on daily to see what everyone is doing, then get off. I am feeling fine with that, so far, I guess. I don't feel I am on it all the time. But, that's beside the reason for my blog post.

I have some "friends" that probably are more of acquaintances or family members on my husband's side that I don't really know. I've taken off a couple of "friends" that were bugging me because they aren't really my friends and I didn't really want to read all their updates.

The other night at the Community Christmas tree lighting deal, I was sitting in the back corner of the room letting my 6-month old enjoy a chocolate chip cookie (which I need to get the picture from the babysitter) and this young fellow walks up. He's got a name tag and a camera. He's from the State Representative's Office. He introduced himself and I gave him my name. He then says, this is a strange question, but are you LDS? I said, yup. He said that he was a missionary in small town south of here and had served with a missionary that was serving in our small town when my husband was the ward mission leader. Anyway, so he knew of us. We didn't have a long conversation partly because I wasn't really feeling like being overly social and partly because people were gawking at Fischer and his cookie mess. Although, I do remember telling him I had wondered if state rep was LDS or something because he was a "friend" of someone I knew on Facebook.

So, later when we got home. I am pretty sure that same night, but could have been the next night 'cuz I just don't think I can separate out what date what minor detail happened, I get a "friend" request from this particular State Representative for which this young gentleman works. The state rep is LDS as well. He's facebook friends with someone else I know and I've see him comment before and wondered out she got to be "friends" with a state rep.

So, I am NOT into politics, although I usually feel like I should educate myself on some stuff. I have to usually know what big initiative are out there that could affect my working life, but I am able to research that kind of stuff on work time and it's work related. I don't get involved in politics on a personal level, really, at all. It always ends in my getting irritated at the world when I do. Life is too complicated where politics are involved.

So, my question of my very late, stuffy sinus, tired eyes night is . . . should I be "friends" on Facebook with a state Representative that I don't know because some return missionary remembered my name and looked me up when he got back to his computer? With my luck, he's probably found enough information around to be reading my blog and will then be able to comment that, "No you don't have to be facebook friends with the guy, he's just looking for his supporters out there in small towns of the state."

The term "friend" is used pretty loosely with the ol' Facebook, in my opinion. But I can see it could get dicey if you categorize your friends, you wouldn't have many friends left if you started down that road.

Would you be Facebook friends with a state rep? Would you be Facebook friends with someone else you don't really know, more of an acquaintance?