Ahhh, Facebook… so much fun… so much drama. Most of us know how to use Facebook without ostracizing our “friends,” but there are those few that ruin the experience for everyone. Don’t be one of THOSE people.
1. Thou Shalt Not Overshare.
Let’s start off with the obvious–less is more. You don’t have to give beat-by-beat commentary about your daily shenanigans as they happen. Your friends like you, some may even love you, but if you bombard their walls with the daily minutia of your life (“Spring Break cocktails! Loving life! #Blessed”), expect the number of your friends to drop. The less people know about you, the more interesting you are, and your sporadic posts carry more weight.
2. Thou shalt not tag your friends in photos (until you get their OK).
Before you go on a photo-uploading jag, give your friends final approval before you tag them in said pics. Not everyone is as photogenic as you.
3. Honor thy future employers, for they are watching… and judging.
Trust me on this one–after they read your resume, future employers go hunting for your Facebook account. Unless your settings are blocked to Friends Only (and they should be), think twice about what you post.
4. Remember the Big 3: Sex, Politics and Religion (and avoid mentioning them).
That is, unless you enjoy starting flame wars and lathering your friends up into heated online debates. Open-forum conversations about sex, politics and religion will never end well on Facebook. Ever.
5. Thou shalt avoid “braggy” posts.
The fastest way to make your friends angry with you is to constantly brag on Facebook. No one likes that. Sure, every now and then you can mention that you got hit on by your barista, your mailman, your waiter, and the cop who let you off with a warning–all on the same day, but proper Facebook etiquette dictates one should space those posts out. The best status updates are those that make people laugh, make them feel good about themselves, or inform people on current events.
6. Thou shalt not post blatant “attention-seeking” statuses.
We all have that one needy friend who posts doomsday sentiments like, “Today was the worst day of my life–please don’t ask me what happened and respect my privacy.” C’mon, what are your friends supposed to do with that?
7. Thou shalt honor thy mother’s and father’s status updates.
Give your parents a break and just “like” everything they post, no matter how silly or pointless said posts may be. Parents–especially dads–love nothing more than to share bad jokes. Liking these posts requires no effort on your end, and it makes them feel loved.
8. Thou shalt not post while inebriated.
Whether it be beer, wine or prescriptions–stay off Facebook until you’re of clear mind and body. You can delete embarrassing posts the morning after, but people will screen cap your Facebook follies given the chance–friends never forget.
9. Thou shalt not “Friend” strangers.
It’s creepy, and bad form. Don’t be that person who goes on Friending sprees, poaching “friends” from other friends late at night.
10. Thou shalt not say anything if thou has nothing nice to say.
It’s a maxim as old as time itself and the one rule your mom drummed into your head when you were a kid, “If you don’t have anything nice to day, don’t say anything at all.” And it holds true with Facebook.
Full disclosure: I’ve done most of these! That said, I regret my behavior and want to improve. So basically, learn from my mistakes.
Photo credit: Getty Images