Your email address on Facebook: good or bad?
Other Articles by Faydra Deon
When you sign up for Facebook, you have to enter your email address. Unless you make it private, where only you know what it is, your friends can see the email address on your profile.
Having your friends know your email address doesn't seem like such a bad thing, especially when you think of it in terms of these are people with whom you actually want to keep in contact. However, if your friends abuse your email address, that's when it becomes a not-so-good thing.
Imagine this:
You "friend" someone on Facebook whom you haven't seen in many years. You're very happy to be reconnected with this person, because you all had some really good times together back in school.
One day, you check your Inbox and you see a solicitation email from this person. You didn't give this person permission to email you anything, so you assume that he/she got your email address from your Facebook page.
How do you feel about this?
Check out these "(Wo)Man on the Tweet©" responses to this question:
T. Rasberry from DC, who tweets under the handle @msrasberryinc, says the following:
I wouldn't be anymore upset about this than I would be about any other solicitation email. If I have my Facebook settings set to allow my friends to see my email address, then I have to anticipate that one day one of them might send me an email. If I only want people to email me if I give them express permission to do so, then I'm not going to put my email address on my profile at all. No harm, no foul.
Liz de Bagara from DC, who tweets under the handle @lizdebagara, says the following:
This exact situation has happened to me. I didn't mind at all because: 1) I only list on Facebook the email that I would use for solicitations anyway, rather than my blackberry account. 2) I have a number of friends who are trying to start businesses. Solicitation emails are just a way for people to get the word out as they pursue their dreams. With the economy as bad as it is, I would never think "What's wrong with this person for sending me an email solicitation?" Solicitations are how small businesses get started. I don't feel compelled to respond if I don't want the product, but I don't think there's anything wrong with letting me know the product is available. I can ignore or act as I choose; it's just not a big deal.
S. Character from MD, who tweets under the handle @blacknthick, says the following:
well first i would feel hurt, second i would go to that person and ask them why they did what they did and if i didnt like the answer then they are old friend for a reason and i will leave them as a old friend and move on with my life with out them in it.
Yesha from DC, who tweets under the handle @flyblackchick, says the following:
well, i don’t think it’s that big of a deal. if ppl didn’t want others to contact them via their email address, there’s always the option of removing it.
Tracee from DC, who tweets under the handle @traceepersiko, says the following:
My response would be reflective of who the person I was reconnecting with. If I really wanted to reconnect, the email would be no problem. However, if I didn't want to take it off Facebook then I would feel in a bind. I guess that is the risk for posting my email address.
Honey from DC, who tweets under the handle @getyourhoneyon, says the following:
I would actually politely ask them about the email. If is it something I am interested in, then great, I will let them know to keep the information coming. If it is something I am not, I would also politely ask them to take me off the list. But in general, I would not put my email out there for the public to see (especially Facebook) if I did not want solicitation emails. If anything, if my new friend wanted to email me they should ask me through facebook first. If I would like to give it to them, I will.
You've read what others have to say on the subject. How do you feel about it? Leave your comment below to add to this discussion.
Comments
Facebook friends using my email address to send you solicitations? I find it to be very tactless. I would find it nicer to tell me in advance and ask me if it is ok to do so. Facebook is used primarily for leisure. It is just like some people, who use your emails sent to a list a group of people and contact them directly. A little of courtesy goes a long way.
No more annoying then pop ups and ads on your website.
It shouldn't bother anyone. If it's on the web, it's public information and sooner rather than later someone will send you unsolicited emails. So stop pretending you're special and shouldn't receive solicitation from "friends" -- we all have an agenda, specially if we're in SALES. So the question is, would you rather have a "friend" soliciting or someone totally unknown?
It depends on the level of communication. I strongly dislike people I have just friended immediately sending me a PM for their service or product. I don't want to be invited to play games or join FourSquare, and when I decline, I really hate it when the person writes back, "it's not my fault, the program sends that message to my whole mailing list. Just ignore." But if someone has been in communication with me a while, and sends me an email offer that's appropriate, I'm fine with it.
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