As anybody actually watching me digitally will already know, I recently got more caught up with Facebook.  Clicked through a bunch of friend requests.  I still have over a hundred outstanding requests — for causes, games, you-name-it — but those I just have to ignore.  Here’s a note I drafted to try to explain why it took me so long to say yes to so many people … thanks for your understanding!

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Dear Facebook friends,

With my deepest apologies for a group note, and for the slowness of a reply … I am happy to be connected. And let me explain my slowness in replying to your invitation.

I had dozens of outstanding friend requests.  Previously, when I started using Facebook, I had a policy of just having fairly close personal friends, family, and professional colleagues as “friends” on Facebook. I let requests from lots of wonderful folks that I had met more briefly, or knew through others but had not met personally, just pile up. I didn’t want to click “Ignore,” but I wasn’t sure how to respond either. Then, people I did know pretty well, or whom I had known long ago, also showed up and got stuck in that pile — high school friends, for example … and anyway, the whole thing just sort of got out of control.

So, I have a new policy of welcoming all these connections, and thinking differently about how I use Facebook, about what it’s for.

Thanks for reaching out!  I look forward to staying connected …

Alan