Facebook "Remove Friend" Etiquette
Facebook allows you to have up to 5,000 friends on a single profile page, but there may come a time when some of these friends have worn out their welcome and must be deleted. If you must delete a friend -- or acquaintance -- make sure to practice good etiquette when doing so. If you don't, you may permanently burn the bridge between you and your friend, which can have a negative affect down the line.
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Be Patient
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Before you remove a friend from Facebook, take a little time to think over the situation. Unless this person has been a causal acquaintance or someone you rarely talk to face to face, consider the implications of removing him as a friend. If he is an old friend, or someone you talk to on a daily basis, removing him can have a negative impact on that relationship. If you feel as if the troubles between you two can be resolved in a few days -- or after a few conversations -- do not remove him as your friend. If you remove a friend -- and then add them back later -- and this becomes a pattern, other friends you have might take note and feel as if they can be dropped at any moment.
Friend Numbers
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Consider the amount of friends you have on your Facebook page before deleting someone. If you have a small amount of friends, than deleting someone you rarely talk to is understandable. This sends the signal that you only want a small, intimate number of friends who you actually communicate with. However, if you have more than a 1,000 friends -- including people you barely know -- then deleting one person may have them wondering what they did wrong. If you are going to drop people you never talk to, drop them all at once instead of one at a time.
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Keep It Private
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If you are going to delete a friend, do not send a message to him about it on his wall, which would allow all of their friends to see it. This is the equivalent of public humiliation for that person. Do not create a post on your personal profile page alerting all of your friends about the upcoming friend removal. If you have already removed a friend, do not post a comment about it as some of your friends may know that person. The more private you keep a friend removal, the better. Someday, someone may wish to delete you and you may not enjoy a public posting about it.
Make It Personal
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If you must remove a close friend of yours from your Facebook page, keep his feelings in mind. If possible, meet with this person in the real world -- or call him -- to explain why you are doing what you are doing. Think of it like a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Simply deleting them and never talking to them again would be rather harsh. At the very least, offer than some sense of closure before moving on.
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References
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