I have a social network management system that is somewhat well thought out and which I exercise diligently. You could call it discerning. On the big four it goes something like this:

• Join the professional networks of people I have conducted business with on LinkedIn
• Follow people on Twitter that I find interesting
• Friend people on Facebook in which I have had a meaningful social encounter
• Friend people on Foursquare where I would value a serendipitous encounter

This has led to what I consider to be a somewhat manageable social network structure for me. And for Lent I am going to throw it all out the window. During Lent I am going to take all comers and clean out the backlog on my social network invites.  They currently look like this:

• LinkedIn 892 contacts, 363 requests
• Twitter 2,774 followers, 331 following
• Facebook 386 friends, 83 requests
• Foursquare 88 followers, 120 requests

During Lent I am giving up my social network follower discretion. Accepting outstanding requests and taking all comers. Not sure it it going to stick come Easter but it will be an interesting experiment.