How To Use Facebook Appropriately

It seems like everyone has a facebook account now days. I wasn't even too shocked when my Grandpa friended me (I only had to have the smelling salts waved under my nose once). I like facebook because it is totally like eavesdropping on conversations without any possibility of being caught. I can creep on you without you really knowing it.

That being said, I think there are some guidelines everyone should start using.

1. Friending people. I know having a huge number of friends is super popular, but honestly, the little red headed girl you met at camp when you were 8 years old does not really remember you nor does she want to be your friend. Think things through before you issue that friend request.

2. Tagging photos. I love to see a good picture of myself. The key word is "good". If you have a picture of me pulling at my waistband while making a weird cat butt face, do not tag me. Do not even post it on facebook! Use the golden rule. Would you like a freaky picture of you posted and tagged? No? Then don't do it to others!

3. Beware of dirty laundry. We all have those tiffs with our loved ones, ones where we want to let everyone know what a dirty stink pot louse they are, but after we've calmed down we are glad we didn't do something so rude. But with facebook, you can post whatever you feel and it is instantly available for all of your hundreds of friends to read. Now all your friends know that you are in a fight, they can read all your rants and if you are me, be very sorry for the TMI.

4. TMI. To much information isn't just about dirty laundry. It can be an overload of posting. Do I need to know that you are folding laundry, then cooking dinner, than going shopping, then getting ready for bed, then....I'm already bored. Post interesting things! Or funny things! Or in the case of me, rarely post anything.

That leads me to an important insight: I am too boring for facebook! I hardly post anything, I check it about once a week, and I am very slow to friend people, even my own family members! It may not be a case of others using facebook appropriately, it may be a case of facebook not being the place for me.

I might be too old school. Give me an email, a letter by snail mail or a good old fashioned blog! Now those are the ways to communicate to friends and family!