Facebook Etiquette

Social Media has taken over the internet and has consumed our lives in the form of Facebook, Twitter, blogs and so on. It's popularity has blossomed but like everything else, its has its nuances. Social Media is used with varying intents whether it is someone promoting their company, sharing resources or giving constant updates of their daily lives. It's great that we can all exchange knowledge more quickly with little effort but at the same time there are habits that people need to curb. People have developed certain social media addictions that have consequently turned them into social media pests, specially in the realm of Facebook. Growing up, our mothers passed along lessons of etiquette in hopes of grooming us into civilized individuals rather than barbaric savages. In relation to these life-long lessons, lets develop a few Facebook etiquette lessons that will keep your readers' attention and prevent a Facebook friends deletion.

Lesson 1: Chew with you mouth closed / Do not give constant status updates
No one wants to hear you chomping down on fish sticks and tar tar sauce and nor do they want to hear your plans of going to your local Red Lobster for the Surf-n-Turf dinner special. It is becoming more annoying to find your Facebook feed littered with status updates from ONE person. No one is interested in such statuses as Person X is "Going to the chiropractor", "On the bus", or my personal favorite "sleeping." Taking it a step further, people don't want to read constant status updates in which the person are venting their frustrations and using "FML" as if it has a expiration date on its usage. Yes, we all have tough days but before you feel the urge to tell everyone the local Starbucks ruined your entire day because they stiffed you on whip cream just mutter these 5 words: "I will deal with it." Give status updates that are interesting and will entice people to comment.


Lesson 2: Don't bring a dish that someone else already is / Don't create groups or events that already exist
You don't want to be the one that turns a barbecue into a salad bar. Be original. If you missed the opportunity to showcase your world-renowned caesar salad then tough break my friend. The same can be applied to the number of groups and events created on Facebook. There is no need for 40 groups dedicated to Oilers fans nor the need to create weekly event reminders about a re-occurring weekend party at a local pub. Be original in what you create. There are so many groups that are out there that have few followers and little to no activity. Create a group that will grab people's attention, generate a large following and encourage constant activity (comments, uploads, etc).

Lesson 3: Don't swear at the dinner table / Don't be too illiterate
Let's get something straight. Neither you or I are English scholars or professional editors. We all are guilty of bad spelling and poor grammar which is fine. I'm sure there are several grammatical errors with this post that will be pointed out by my girlfriend. But there are limits to what is acceptable before I begin to strongly consider hyper-linking phonics lessons on your Facebook wall.
Here is an example: "yea i wud luv to do dat. See yooou lata!!!!!!"
Translated to human language: "Yes I would love to do that. See you later."
Here are my two biggest isses are: 1) "wud" - come on! Are you serious? 2) "dat" - this can only be used by  local residents of New Orleans and fans of the Saints - WHO DAT! There is no other usage for it. The first person who uses it will receive this comment: "Wow, are you actually dat stupid?"