Question: I consider Facebook to have information that is personal and that I only share with close friends and family. However, in my new workplace I’ve been asked several times for my Facebook username and/or have been *friend requested* and I don’t want to sound rude by telling them that I don't want to add them as friends. 

Any suggestions on the way I should handle this?

Answer: 
> 
> I’ve been asked several times for my Facebook username
>  and/or have been friend requested and I don’t want to sound rude by
>  telling them that I don’t want to add them as friends.
> 
> 
> 

Easy. Just add them as friends to a “Restricted” list [as explained here](http://www.facebook.com/help/206571136073851):

> 
> When you add someone to your Restricted list, they'll only be able to
>  see your Public content or posts that you tag them in. So if you put
>  your boss on your Restricted list, post a photo and choose Friends as
>  the audience, your boss (and anyone else on Restricted) won’t see that
>  photo. However, if you add a tag of your boss to the photo, we’ll let
>  them know they’re in it and they’ll be able to see the photo. If
>  someone else tries to tag your boss in one of your photos, you’ll get
>  to approve this tag from your pending posts.
> 
> 
> 

More step-by-step details can be found [in this article](http://mashable.com/2013/06/20/facebook-restricted-list/).

That said, adding them to a “Restricted” list might not end the issue when folks realize they do not have access to the full “you” on Facebook. If that’s the case, then there’s no other choice than to just nip the issue in the bud & be honest.

Perhaps just let some co-workers you have a some kind of friendship with be Facebook friends with you & ignore the rest? Your call. But perhaps it’s better to be honest for now than to dance around the issue & let it fester.
> 
> I only connect with *very close* friends and family on Facebook.
> 
> 
> 

Sounds acceptable to me.

You could even preface that with:

> 
> It's not that I don't think of us as friends, it's just that...
> 
> 
> 

---

An alternative (similar to [HLGEM's answer](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/a/25827/8234)), is to simply say:

> 
> I prefer to keep my work and personal life separate.
> 
> 
> 

HLGEM's suggested compromise of connecting on LinkedIn, if you have a profile, is a good addition - this prevents you from outright declining (which might not come across particularly well), and prevents pretty much any nagging or arguments from them.