Facebook Etiquette---Reader Response

Due to some confrontation via Facebook, I've been looking over articles that outline proper Facebook etiquette.  A lot of them had valid points and mannerisms that seemed basic to me, common sense even. Things you might have learned in pre-school (some of you may be exceptions).
 I realized then that there is no common sense when it comes to Social Networking, at all. And really, why would there be? This is an avenue we are traveling for the first time together, something that we have yet to set social expectations from.
So as a result of the countless articles I read, this week's reader response will be my own take on proper Facebook Etiquette.

Facebook Etiquette: Manners We Should all Post With.





10. No we wouldn't like to see your inappropriate photos.
This one always seemed obvious to me. Why in the world would you want obnoxious photos of you shared via the internet? Does anyone seem to realize what kind of people can access those photos?
Internet creepers aside, I'm betting that most of your friends and family really don't want to see a picture of you streaking on Saturday night either.
It always annoys me when these pictures of my friends pop up. Granted, I know that some of these photos are taken by a third party who publishes them without permission, but still! I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake some sense into them. This is your life, viewable by the entire internet world, is this really the impression you want to give?

9. Proper Spelling and Grammar
Facebook status' are a tricky subject. You want to be interesting and engaging as possible while telling the entire world your stuck in the library studying. So why not start with the basics? Use proper spelling and grammar to express your mundane situations in life. This is more visibly appealing for most of us.
We don't want to see "im going 2 tha library" as your status. It makes you look like a complete idiot and makes others want to delete your posts from their news feed.

8. You really don't have 2,000 friends.
I mean really, you don't. So why add 2,000 people to your profile? It's understandable if you're doing this as some sort of business strategy. But otherwise, keep your friends limited to your friends. It's okay to add new people you actually have a chance of meeting but 36 year-old George from England?

7. Please limit your exclamation points.
Now this is something I struggle with myself. When my life gets a little bit exciting I like to express it through cheesy emoticons and too many exclamation points. The end result?
Unattractive and annoying to read. Nobody is going to care that I got a promotion at work if it's littered with smiles and winks.
Obviously there are some exceptions to this rule...say if you won the lottery.

6. If you're a professional public figure, act like one.
This one seems pretty self explanatory to me, but after a Facebook situation that went down the other day, it's obviously not.
If someone posts a status commenting on the profession you work in in general, try your best not to get offended. For example the status may have read:
"Sometimes cops are jerks. I hope you made your quota for the day."
Then you probably want to avoid gathering a team of indignant cops and their family to then attack that person's status with comments that are extremely inappropriate.
I.E: "Oh yes you're right, how jerkish of us to save everyone's lives day in and out."
 It's even worse if the status you are attacking comes from a 20 year-old in college and you yourself are an esteemed middle aged American. It makes you look rather silly and immature and does nothing for your professional image.
Bad idea.

*** Note: The above examples are just that, examples. They may have been based off a real life situation but are not direct quotes from that situation.

5. Drunk on Facebook?
Then please get off. Enough said.

4. Facebook Fights
Please, please, please don't start a fight on Facebook. Though most times it is amusing to watch a wall post fight go down, it looks extremely bad on your part.
You may be very angry at the moment and that anger could be affecting your judgement, if that's the case then your best bet is to log off of Facebook simply to save...face.
Let's face it, Facebook fights are expected from those still in high school (even then, it's pretty silly) but your maturity level should be past that point of pettiness. At least we hope.

3. Public display's of affection.
Let's face it; PDA is always a problem we may encounter. Generally speaking, it's in bad manner to stick your tongue down someone's throat in public, so why should Facebook be any different?
No one really wants to hear about your night last night, or the things you are planning to do later, or, really, all the ways you love each other.
Keep the private..private.

2. Employers on Facebook
As social networking continues to blossom more and more employers are looking to Facebook to determine an employee's eligibility. Keep this in mind as it is very easy to find your Facebook page.
Think once or twice about the photos, status', and other things you post. Your best bet is to keep everything in good taste and present yourself in a professional manner.
This doesn't mean your profile and Facebook life has to be boring, just tasteful.

1. Posting rude status' on someone else's page.
I've seen this happen countless times. A status shows up on the news feed that has most obviously not been posted by the owner of the page. This gets old real fast.
Most times these status' are offensive, rude, and downright immature.
Again, this is something saved for high school maturity levels.


The point of this little etiquette rant is to provide a little insight into mannerisms that should be acceptable on social networks. You wouldn't act this way in real life, so why should you on your virtual one?