SparkLife » Internet 101: Facebook DOs and DON’Ts

Internet 101: Facebook DOs and DON’Ts Dec 19, 2008

Okay, so Facebook has been around for a minute and by now we (your online “friends”) kinda get that you consider yourself the master of the domain. Sure, you’ve aced how to add on any new apps and you have like a zillion “friends.” But maybe you’re about to apply to college, or you’re being considered for a special honors club (nerdette alert). Here are a few ways to keep your online profile fun but scandal-free:

Have fun. Just because your parents’ generation is now the fastest-growing group signing up for Facebook doesn’t mean you shouldn’t still pimp out your page. Besides, it’s so much fun to stay in touch with friends and frenemies, right?

Keep a cool online profile that reflects who you really are: not too crazy but not so lame-o that people avoid clicking on your page. Also, be truthful about your interests and favorite activities; this will give anyone looking at your page (college admin included) an idea of who you really are. And for chrissake, use your real name (is that really you, Lilo?)

Tag your friends’ photos. Give your friends that courtesy, because there’s nothing more irritating than stumbling on a pic of yourself on a friend’s page that you didn’t know about.

Use Facebook for what it’s meant for: keeping in touch. Don’t you hate sending a friend a message and not hearing back from them for, like, two weeks? Why did they sign up for Facebook in the first place if they don’t have time to use it?

Upgrade your privacy settings. Internet surveys show that most people don’t even go to the privacy page when setting up their account. Not only does a privacy setting help you determine who sees your profile but it can also protect you from dreaded bill collectors.

DON’T

Turn into an amateur spammer. Enough with sending us hug and kisses and snowflakes and cheesy poems about friendship. We get enough spam in our inboxes, so we don’t need it on Facebook. Keep your posts interesting but to a minimum.

Get too personal. That post about you and friends all wearing red and meeting at the mall at 7 p.m. next Friday is so not cool, because anybody can see it (and find you in real life). And please, we do like knowing about your relationship status but if it’s changing, like, every week, keep it on the down low.

Turn the comments box into your personal soapbox. It might just come back to haunt you. If you have a beef with someone, just tell your friends, ahem, in person.

Friend too many people and join too many groups. Not only do we know you don’t really know 1,500 people but you’ll automatically become a member of FIMLG.

Try to friend someone you just met, like the college recruiter you spoke with. Some people find it really annoying for people they just met to suddenly want to friend them on Facebook.

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Comments

Facebook is for people who just want to show off how many friends they have. “Yeah, I have 145 friends on Facebook. Beat that!” It’s also a great place to meet online predators!

[1] Posted by: ilovethat70sshow | January 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 am

So true. I think the worst about it is that you can’t delete it properly, i.e. you will never escape from this crazy machinery but always keep coming back, no matter how many times you’ve deleted your profile. I’m a victim myself, I know what I’m talking about lol!

[2] Posted by: dunyazad | January 2nd, 2009 at 3:47 pm

I disagree. I think Myspace.com is the place for ‘online predators’ and adding a bizillion friends. Facebook is moreover a mature site.

[3] Posted by: KathrynKeeley | January 3rd, 2009 at 11:17 pm

Facebook is not for online predators that is definitely myspace.

[4] Posted by: Bentastin776 | January 4th, 2009 at 11:56 pm

I also disagree. Only people who don’t have many real friends and people who feel “insecure” brag about how many friends they have on facebook. I did my research before getting a facebook, and I was very impressed by their privacy (safety) settings. You can make it so people can’t even search you, and you can easily report innapropriate things you find on other peoples pages or something they sent to you! I wouldn’t get a MySpace though.

[5] Posted by: mago32s | January 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pm

I think the people in my and my friends and family’s schools get this. Facebook is the more trendy thing, rather than MySpace, which currently has a really bad rap for everything except Myspace Music. I don’t even bother posting photos of myself; I draw my own profile pictures. I think the only stupid thing is, deleting friends or rejecting friend requests seems to be way too much of a big deal and discouraged…

[6] Posted by: Literatrue | January 6th, 2009 at 7:42 pm

“I disagree. I think Myspace.com is the place for ‘online predators’ and adding a bizillion friends. Facebook is moreover a mature site”. Online predators are everywhere, not just in myspace. And not everyone adds a “bizzillion” friends.

[7] Posted by: el_jazz | January 7th, 2009 at 11:40 am

You should add that it’s a major DON’T to comment on people’s photos or write on the wall of people you don’t know or hardly know. Another don’t is adding people you’ve never met before.

[8] Posted by: sondraaa | January 11th, 2009 at 7:22 pm

Also, having HUGE, personal fights via each others’ wall (or even worse, pictures)? Tacky. At least keep it in the personal messaging area if you want to fight over the interwebz. =P

[9] Posted by: sondraaa | January 11th, 2009 at 7:23 pm

I have alot to say, mostly positive.
First, all this concern about college admissions persons and other important people seeing your bad image on facebook isnt explained to the point it should be. College admissions officers cant see anything of you if you turn your privacy settings on FRIENDS or MY FRIENDS AND MY NETWORKS ONLY. That way if college admissions officers are gonna see you, theyll have to be accepted by you as your friend first. I get really annoyed by people who dont realize this and preach how you shouldnt do what you want on Facebook for fear of being hurt in the future. You just gotta be smart about it, thats all.

Also, for “Turn the comments box into your personal soapbox. It might just come back to haunt you. If you have a beef with someone, just tell your friends, ahem, in person. ”

you can express your beef with that person in person, but you can also do this through messages. Theyre only between the two (unless you send the message to more people who can then see the entire thread).

third, “Online predators are everywhere, not just in myspace.” friends. ”
youre right. online predators are everywhere. but there are some places that make them nearly impossible for them to find you given the right settings. and that place is Facebook, not myspace. Myspace is the prime location for online predators to foolish girls.

and finall,y Another definite DONT can be found on both networks:

Post pictures of students under the age of 21 with beer cans in their hands and vodka bottles on their counters.

[10] Posted by: frankcastle90 | January 11th, 2009 at 11:25 pm