by Shannon Hilson

Created on: October 02, 2009

For many of us, Facebook is an absolutely wonderful innovation. It offers us a number of fun ways to keep in close contact with our friends and family - especially those that live too far away to visit often. It helps us get the word out when it comes to our businesses or our personal projects. It even offers us a way to meet and befriend new people that we never would have stumbled upon otherwise. However, every so often, we welcome someone new into our own little world on Facebook and wind up wishing we hadn't. There are a number of reasons why we might decide to unfriend someone on Facebook, but the following are among the most common.

1. The person turns out to be overly intrusive.

Sometimes we wind up making a new friend on Facebook who seems a little overzealous when it comes to getting to know you. You know the type of person I mean. They want to tell you their life story right off the bat complete with TMI-style details... or else they expect you to feel comfortable telling yours. They ask really personal questions that you're not comfortable answering and sometimes even get angry when you politely decline to give out the information they want. They don't seem to have anything better to do than sit on Facebook and message you all day and they expect you to be willing to do the same. Maybe they even go through your friends list and serial add everyone on it so they can feel closer to you. In short, they turn out to be the spitting image of some character in one of those stalker movies - definitely not someone you want to count amongst your friends.

2. The person's presence on your list makes you feel censored.

Your Facebook profile should be your space to express yourself however you please, but occasionally we wind up with someone on our list whose presence makes us feel we have to overthink everything we post. Maybe it's someone we know in real life - a parent, an in-law, or even a boss. Maybe it's just an acquaintance who has wildly different political or religious views and thinks everyone else should think the way they do. Whatever form your personal censor happens to take, you're not alone in feeling like your Facebook would be a happier, freer place without them on your list. Your Facebook is your own little corner of the e-universe, after all. It should be someplace where you feel comfortable saying whatever you have a mind to.

3. The person only seems interested in promoting their business or their website.

We've all had people add us on Facebook

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