I am personally not a big fan of Facebook, but it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. More and more people are joining and businesses are using it for their online communication much more than their web sites. So shouldn’t there be some standard or guidelines for behavior? I’m not talking about the obvious don’t post anything too violent, obscene or threatening, but how about don’t post anything too annoying? Therefore in the spirit of Emily Post and Martha Stewart, I humbly submit my Facebook Etiquette.
Things Not to Do on Facebook:
1. Be vague. It isn’t appropriate to post statements such as, “Decisions, decisions….” “Peaceful.” “Sometimes I just wonder…” ” Why?” “Crazy.” These are obvious calls for help and you’re just begging people to comment to you.
2. Quote too much. An appropriate, humorous or thought provoking quote should be like a nice bearnaise sauce. It is something that should be used sparingly. If you post more than two quotes a day as your status, then you’re just being a poser.
3. Posting statements that do not apply to any of your “friends”. One example would be Veteran’s Day. While that is a great day to thank the armed forces and their families for their service and sacrifices, if you don’t have any “friends” that are or have ever been in the armed forces or are not the family of someone in the armed forces, then why post a thank you to Veterans on Facebook? Who is going to read that and be thanked? It would be much more appropriate to say thank you to someone in uniform or someone that you know is affiliated with the services or how about just send a card to a USO?
4. Posting too frequently. Unless you lead a very exciting, glamorous or humorous life, there is really no need to post more than twice a day, MAX. No one cares that much about your activities and you’re just clogging up their feeds with your stuff.
5. If you happen to be “unfriended” by someone, just let it go. Please do not write any sob stories via e-mail begging them to take you back. Also, do not post on a mutual “friend’s” feed asking why that person “unfriended” you. By doing all of this, you are really just making them glad that they did “unfriend” you.
6. Play games/quizzes. While I understand that some of the games on Facebook might be fun, there is a wide world of video games out there that are much more fun and challenging and they won’t annoy your “friends” or compromise their privacy.
7. Similar to being too vague, don’t make negative statements about yourself in an attempt to have people comment how wonderful you are. “I wish I was a better cook.” Usually elicits, “You’re a wonderful cook.” “I love your cookies.” If you need affirmation like that, you’ve got bigger problems.
8. Suggesting someone to “friend” your spouse/significant other that the other person has never met. To me this seems like a either a desperate way to get your SO in with your “friends” or it tells me that your SO is insecure and wants to know what your “friends” are saying. How about you meet for brunch instead?
9. Posting pictures where you look good, but everyone else looks bad and tagging them. Now this may make you feel better, but it is not going to score any points with the “friends” that don’t look their best at the time. You don’t know who else will be seeing these or what they could be used for, so let people tag themselves if they choose.
10. Arbitrarily sending our “friend” requests to everyone that Facebook suggests to you. If this is not someone who if you passed in the hall you would speak to, then do not “friend” them. Also, if you have never met this person in the real world, do not send them a “friend” request. This is not a contest. I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg is going to give you a cut of his fortune if you have a couple of hundred or thousands of friends.
