The Unspoken Rules in Facebooking

Many people, how knowledgeable they say they are in using social media sites, often neglect the unspoken rules in using it. Most common manifestation that etiquette in using social networking websites are always given too little attention is on Facebook.

A couple or more decades ago, when people pry on your personal life, you tend to get angry. You try to live as private as possible. But nowadays, social media users get dejected when only few of their so-called “friends” and or “followers like their new status or photos posted in Facebook. This gesture, most of the time, defeat the purpose of the word "privacy".

Posting almost every single and smallest things happening to you, can endanger not only your life, but also those with you. It is not bad however to let your friends know something about you nor share what makes you happy, jumpy, teary, or sad. But, you have to know how to do it properly.

Facebooking has its unspoken rules just like other social media sites. I, for sure, is guilty of having committed some of the don'ts in Facebooking. So, if you're thinking you have violated a rule or two (maybe more), check the list below. The list however, contains some of the most common violated rules and is randomly arranged. Moreover, it does only contain the don'ts in Facebooking. Listed also are some to do's to enhance your social media experience.

• Do not like your own status. The fact that you posted it, automatically means that you like it. Let others appreciate/react on your post. 
• Avoid narcissism. This goes the same with self-liking posts/photos. Constantly changing profile picture is a big NO-NO. You don't need to change your profile picture twice a day or everyday. People will still know who you are if you only changed it once in a while. Also, don't post your pictures while you are inside the bathroom (before or after taking a bath, etc.), mall fitting rooms, etc. You're showing too much to the public.
• Don't post anything confidential or private. Remember, anything you post in your wall, we can see them. Any updates, any photos uploaded might be seen by a very wide audience unless you review your privacy settings more carefully. The rule is, if you’re not comfortable posting it, then don’t post it.
• Make use of the chat box. Instead of posting private messages to your wall of your friend’s wall, use the chatbox. In that way, you can keep your conversation as discreet as possible. Secrets, issues and other too personal topics should be discussed personally and privately. You don’t want the whole world to know it for sure.
• Be polite. Answer the questions and respond to posts. Some of your friends will ask questions about your post. Answer them. If you do not want others to know your answer to that certain question, privately message your answer to your friend who is asking. In the same way, when you ask your friend, they will answer you back. Moreover, don’t be mean. Don’t post something rude or unkind or nasty remarks to someone of Facebook.
• Be sensitive. Do not tag your friends in photos where they look awful. Put yourself into their shoes. Do you want them to tag you in pictures where you look like you’ve just gotten out of bed? If ever your friends untagged themselves or deleted some of the photos you’ve posted, please, don’t tag or repost them again. Probably they have their own reasons why they don’t want such photos in their feeds or maybe felt embarrassed or humiliated. Just be sensitive when posting.
• Don’t Overshare Yourself. I get annoyed usually when all I can see in my news feed is always the same person, thinking doesn’t he/she has something to do except update his/her Facebook? There are FB users who constantly posts their current whereabouts or what they’re doing or wearing or eating or seeing after every 5, 10, 15 Minutes??? Hey, maintain some mystery in your life. Share something important and not every detail of what’s happening with you.
• No to Chain Post/Meaningless Call for Action. If there’s a chain text or email, there is also chain post. It’s like you’re reading some story posted then at the end of it, you’ll see something like this “Share this to your friends. If you broke the chain, you’ll get bad luck.” Please, don’t ever post something like that. Your faith and fate is something you share with God. Another one is a meaningless call for action like “If you want to fight poverty, put the color of your shirt as your status update for the next hour.” So where’s the logic there? What’s the connection between poverty and your shirt color? Get the point? So, if you don’t want to be called senseless, don’t post status like that, nor follow a call for action such as that one.
• Proofread. Before posting any status online, check your grammar and spelling. Make sure you chose the right word with the right tense. It will only take you a few seconds to check whether your posting something that makes sense. In this way, you will avoid being a laughing stock.

Social media sites are instruments to connect people. There is nothing wrong in posting some updates about you or your life. Just remember one simple rule, before posting anything on Facebook, twitter, etc., ask these questions to yourself first – is it interesting? Am I humiliating my friends? Am I disclosing too much personal information? Will it do me good as well as others? And lastly, rules in actual social life also applies in social media sites.