The very serious Financial Times published on his web site a few days ago this call for advice:

I work in an advertising agency and my boss (who is quite cool) has just asked to be my friend on Facebook. I feel invaded – I’m passionate about my work but want to keep it separate from the rest of my life. I definitely don’t want him spying on what I say to my friends. He has also asked other people in the office who have said Yes and they seem to think it’s fine. But I don’t want to. Can I say No without damaging my career?

Advertising creative, female, 26

This is rather a new kind of problem generated by social networking sites like Facebook. And it’s symptomatic that this has been reported on Facebook. As actually Facebook appear to be both a networking site for professional and personal linking. The solution proposed by  Lucy Kellaway from FT.com is rather drastic: stop using Facebook. But Facebook should offer in the future the ability to separate your work friends from your social ones.