Tanya’s Rules of Facebook Order and Etiquette

Tanya’s Rules of Facebook Order and Etiquette

Disclaimer: Being an avid facebook poster and user, I feel 100% at liberty to list the following rules of order and etiquette for regular facebookers. Following these rules may increase the facebooking experience for us all. I may even have been guilty of some of them myself at a time, but that is how I learned and can now pass on my wisdom

1. It is not in good form to use your facebook status to make angry jabs or pointed stinging comments towards another person or even worse, passive aggressive statements. To the person you are angry at; this may sting or hurt however to innocent bystanders this makes you look ugly, bitter and petty. Deal with them off the facebook world, just to spare us your entire wrath.

2. An Ultrasound is probably not the best idea for a Profile Photo. I am not sure who started this trend, but I feel it to be a bit outside of standard protocol. What next, a video recording posted of the sperm swimming into the egg? Let’s maintain a bit of sensibility about these types of things.

3. If you were married a million years ago, there is no need to consistently rotate and re-rotate the old wedding picture as your Profile Photo. It’s over with, just accept that. It’s important not to over saturate. I had to learn this one the hard way myself. The same goes for baby photos and even worse, the “pregger photos”. As cute as you may be while pregnant, I am near certain that we don’t need to see the bump from 10 angles. Just pick a few of your favs, post them, tag them and let’s try to keep our eyes on the bigger picture.

4. Don’t Stalk, Semi-Stalk, and Mega Stalk others people’s facebook pages, wall posts and photos yet never post anything of worth on your own page. Keeping your page blank and ultra private yet you read and re-read and then comment and “like” excessively on other pages…that’s just creepy, plainly unfair and rather rude, I believe.

5. If you lie to someone in person about something, make sure to tell the same lie on facebook, or you will get caught. “Oh no Sally, I did not make it out to the club last night”, does not go over well when you have photos from the club posted on your page. Get your story straight.

6. It’s not in good taste, to only log on to facebook to post status updates to complain about facebook and how you hate people who facebook. Really?? we are on here to have fun and socialize/network, if you aren’t, please move along

7. It’s probably not a good idea to put a status update about how you are in the mode to do a lot of “Deleting” or “Cleaning out” of your friends list, and that if people aren’t “Careful’ they may be on the cut list. Ok really, so who are you now, Kim Kardashian? We will all live to see the sun whether we are on your list or not. Next.

8. Be careful not to always confuse your fellow facebookers by posting conflicting status updates and wall posts. For example, if you complain relentlessly about being dead broke in your status; you probably won’t be taken seriously if you check in 3 or 4 times per week at some fancy restaurant or at vacation spots every other month.

9. Combining your Twitter Feeds and Facebook posts are both intruding and confusing. They are two different websites, and for a very good reason.

10. If you are using Facebook to grow your business, promote parties or sell something, it’s important not to be too over the top with it. While social networking is a great avenue for making connections and making deals, you will mostly be deleted if we are looking at 50 posts per day about your service or product. Then you get nothing 

11. “Holier than Thou” facebook posts or status messages don’t go over well with ANYONE. (This is not in reference to religion but merely to every day comments about how to live life, recycles and go green, raise kids, find a spouse, working out, etc).For example “ You just don’t know the meaning of tired until you have kids” or “ I just can’t see how anyone eats McDonalds, its so fatty and bad for you. Just gross!”…Really? How obnoxious, why do I want to deal with you on facebook if this is what I have to read day in and day out. We already have parents/preachers/teachers; we don’t need to sign on to facebook to experience your lectures. Thanks

12. It’s important not to appear crazy on facebook. Specifically by avoiding the “mysterious status update”. This is a situation in which the individual posts a status update that is so cryptic in nature that no one knows what they are talking about except for a handful of people. For example:” Well, Today is the BIG day. Just a few hours and I get that news I have been waiting for..”.. and then at this point you refuse to respond to the multitudes of comments on your status from other people asking you what the news is. This is a bad deal in which you don’t look cool or mysterious, you just appear over confident and self-absorbed by purposefully creating a situation in which everyone hangs on to your every word when they ordinarily would not.

13. and FYI: No we don’t want to vote your kid in the “World’s cutest and wonderful kid contest”. In these cases, the kid is almost always NOT cute and/or a horrible brat with an unattractive temperament who ought to be hid under a rock and certainly not showcased in a magazine. Just saying. Be realistic on Facebook please

14. Not necessary to post your drunk party photos on Saturday and then your Bible verse status update on Sunday. One or the other please. Just saying.

15. My number 1 rule of Facebook etiquette: When dealing with a friend in person, please do not mention/repeat/reiterate comments, messages or information that was revealed on Facebook. For example, its not a good idea to loudly mention to your friend, while in mixed company “Hey It was SO funny, how you said in your facebook status that you couldn’t get your head from out of the toilet until half past 2 pm cause you were so friggin drunk and hungover. SOO Funny dude!”…hmm, how about NOT so funny dude. Innocent bystanders are now looking at you with skepticism and disdain in reference to a remark made by a supposed friend. Facebook is for reading not for repeating.