Facebook Etiquette

We have all been told by our parents how we should act. “Do not put your elbows on the table.” “Say please and thank you.” “You cannot wear that skirt - it is too short.” “No drugs or alcohol.” “Put the toilet seat down.” “Will his parents be home?” When we discovered the new world of the social networking site Facebook, we entered into a virtually ruleless and unrestricted world. Even in the virtual world, there are precautions we should consider in order to remain safe and maintain a good image.

 DOs

DO let others know if they have been hacked. We have all seen the annoying statuses about the latest “get rich quick” schemes, or messages and posts trying to get you to click on a link. “Two days ago I got held up at gunpoint at the ATM. I want your help finding these dudes. Click on this link and tell me if you recognize them!” Even some of our most annoying Facebook friends would not post these. If you see that your friends have been hacked, you should tell them. More likely than not, they do not know and will be extremely grateful you told them, along with all of their friends who have had to see all the spam in their newsfeeds.

 

DO use the privacy settings that Facebook provides. If your account is not private, literally anyone with a computer will be able to see what is on your profile. You have no way of knowing who is looking at your profile - it could be the cute new girl you sit next to in class, or it could be the really creepy old man who lives halfway around the world.

 

DO friend your parents and other relatives. Many of us live away from home and do not get to see our parents very often. Rather than constantly wondering what you have been up to in school, your parents and other relatives can keep tabs on your Facebook page to see all your latest activity. And you can keep tabs on their lives. That also means less time-consuming phone calls being made to family members.

 

DO share your good news. Facebook is a great way for friends and family to know what you have been doing, especially if they live far away. If you achieve something important or anything good happens to you, why not share it? When something great happens to you, you deserve the bragging rights. Made the Dean’s List? Feel free to shove it in the faces of your Facebook friends, but do it graciously. It will be a good break for people to see something positive in their newsfeeds rather than the typical drama.

 

DO monitor your tagged pictures. You can control what photos you put up, but you cannot always control the photos other people put up of you. Thankfully, you can un-tag and report photos. Congrats on your first keg stand, but your family and friends do not need to see you tagged in a picture of you caught in the act. It is smart to monitor your photos, so no one can see anything you do not want them to.

DON'Ts

DON’T post pictures of yourself with alcohol and drugs. When you begin applying for jobs, future employers are able to look at your profile to see how you carry yourself outside of the office. If an employer sees you posing in photos with your favorite beer or appearing to be under the influence of drugs, it will strongly affect their opinion of you during your application process. Companies do not want employees to ruin or alter their public image.

DON’T like or comment on a friend’s relationship status when it changes to “single.” Leave out the comments telling your friend to text you or asking what happened. If they actually wanted you to know the details of their breakup, you would already know. For the time being, let him or her have some privacy and time to heal

DON’T post annoying and meaningless statuses. You have heard it before: “No one cares what you had for lunch.” Do not waste people’s time by constantly posting statuses all about insignificant parts of your day. You do not need to post that you had pizza for lunch or a picture of your coffee. Everyone eats; you are no different.

Also, remember the most meaningless statuses are those which are vague and completely unexplained.

DON’T post inappropriate or vulgar statuses. Your Facebook timeline is a reflection of you and your personality. You do not want others to get the wrong idea about you. When you refrain from cursing, you automatically will look more intelligent and classy. A good rule of thumb: If you do not want your grandmother to read it, then you should not post it.