10 Commandments of Facebook Link - And Discussion...

Being a Facebook junkie myself, I do ponder the right way to use it... To poke or not to poke (NOT). And what is it with sending gifts? Although my hubby did send me a romantic Facebook gift so that was the only time I really enjoyed getting a gift.

I ended up using Facebook for pure networking and sharing of information, so I don't play games or send random stuff to my networking buddies. I do read all the links my Facebook friends add to their profile and their status updates and join relevant Facebook Groups. Some of my favorite Facebook groups range from Lunch 2.0, Girls in Tech, She's Geeky, MOMocrats to the newest one I just joined: "I have more Foreign Policy Experience than Sarah Palin" and " 1,000,000 Strong Against Sarah Palin". Lunch 2.0 and Bay Area Girl Geek Dinners groups allow me to find out about great events (like the Facebook Garage) via Facebook events. I have a mix of friends, business associates, bloggers and other interesting yet random people as my Facebook friends - so I don't load up any pictures of my kids (nor any bikini pictures - not that I ever wear bikini's). I upgraded to the new Facebook and also read the livefeed section. Yet I still wonder about the right way to interact with people on Facebook.

I happened to read my Digg RSS feed and one post popped out from Cracked.com "The 10 Commandments of Facebook" by Ross Wolinsky. Although I would always rather Kirtsy then Digg, that post did catch my eye. Take a read, and add your own commandments. HERE ARE MINE:

1. STATUS UPDATES FOR ROBBERS: Don't update your Facebook status that you are on vacation for weeks (code for "house is empty") unless you really know all your Facebook friends...

2. PACKRAT REQUESTS: Unless you have just come over from MySpace and are having withdrawl, dont send coolest person invitations, good or bad karma, cupcakes (I am on a diet - how dare you), packrat (hence clogging up my front page with lots of notifications or you're a hottie request (unless it is from my husband).

3. IF DRUNK, DON'T LET PEOPLE TAKE YOUR PICTURE AND LOAD TO FACEBOOK - OR LOAD YOUR OWN DRUNK PICTURES -- OR SAY THINGS YOU WILL REGRET: Yeah, real funny for future employers, business associates, relatives or Sarah Palin's future son-in-law Levi Johnston (who said "I don't want kids.")...

4. IF YOU ARE MARRIED, DON'T SEND FACEBOOK GIFTS TO OTHER WOMEN: Hey dudes, gifts appear on your profile "feeds" that everyone can see...

5. DON'T FEEL PRESSURE TO HAVE LOTS OF FACEBOOK FRIENDS: Yes, people have actually bragged to me about how many Facebook friends they have...It is quality not quantity. Important to reach out to a wide variety of business and social friends, but leave the random guy from another country, that you have no relation to and looks scary, off your profile. 

6. MOMS ARE ON FACEBOOK FOR THEMSELVES, NOT TO SPY ON THEIR KIDS: Most moms I know are on Facebook for pure networking purposes - not to spy on their kids.

7. DON'T CLICK ON LINKS THAT LOOK WEIRD OR SAY "Your ass looks not bad in this video." :  Unless you want to get spammed...

8. DON'T TALK TO PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE LIKE YOU DO IN FACEBOOK: I posted with a link to a YouTube Video called "Facebook in Reality".. If you look like that, get help immediately....

9. TELL YOUR KIDS THAT FACEBOOK IS NOT A DIARY, KEEP PERSONAL DETAILS ON PAPER: Remind kids that bikini pictures could fall into the wrong hands and that future employers could be reading your Facebook profile... So keep it clean... Parents and kids (and everyone) should learn about and set up Facebook privacy functions. Common Sense Media has a review of Facebook with more information.

PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN BY COMMENTING....

Comments

[journey2learn]

Great tips!

[Gudrun of Kitchen Gadget Girl]

I have wondered if I should "friend" some of the folks I volunteer with, but have decided that is strange.

One of my commandments - I would never post a photo of someone else on my FB profile, without asking them first. Or photos of their kids.

[Blog Mama]

Good tips. Before reading this, I thought I was the only one still processing FB. When I tried to discuss with my husband the whole notion of who you agree to be friends with (the whole quantity vs. quantity) my husband said I was thinking too much about it.

[judy haley (coffeejitters)]

It just blows me away what some people put on their facebook. It's a good idea to remind everyone, including the grownups, of these basic concepts every once in a while.

[Ursula]

great post. I'd add the commandment of not "friending" anyone you don't know. I've had so many requests from complete strangers. Just to be polite I send them a message asking "Do I know you?" usually the person says no... but... "I thought your name looked cool." or some other arbitrary comment.
I'd also like to know the etiquette of boss vs employee "friending"... this can get a little weird. I employ 2 people who have requested my friendship... and I have added them on... only to regret what they might see.. though my page is pretty benign.

[Facebook Developer]

Hey great tips and really useful for facebook users. Thanks for info