My facebook rules and complaints

Some of you may have seen my facebook page on 9/11. A couple of my "friends" had an argument on my wall after I posted the phrase, "Taking time to remember..." An innocent comment by one friend led to a full on fight about not taking 9/11 seriously enough and who had more patriotism than who. It got ugly and I had the opportunity early in the day to delete the thread, but decided I would keep it up there and see where it went. By the end of the day, there were about 20 replies from five or six different people.

In my mind, I kept it up there to show people just how misunderstanding and miscommunication leads to hurt feelings and anger. I wish that the people who were making the comments could have personally emailed each other and discovered that they probably were both on the same side. They were all Americans. They were all attacked on 9/11. Why were they fighting with each other? I hope some people learned a lesson from it.

I guess that's a good transition into my facebook rules. Some of you have thought of these. You may have heard some of them from someone else, but these are some things that drive me crazy about facebook. I do love checking my facebook everyday, but these are things I could do without.

If you are going to write more than 20 words to someone, please put it in an email. The personal wall posts are - well personal. Keep it that way. I wonder if some people post that kind of stuff on other people's wall, so other people will know what they are chatting about. Or maybe they like that other people can see who they are contacting. It could be an ego thing.

Relationship updates. Since I created my facebook page in 2006, I have never updated my relationship status. Honestly I've only been in one relationship that would have been suitable for me to change it. But I think most people get annoyed by those friends who change their relationship status more than five times a year. It's a lot like "too much of a good thing is a bad for you." I would never write these people saying congrats on their new relationship because I would have to do it again in six weeks. Again, I think it has to do with insecurities. Some people want to be in a relationship so bad and let people know about it when they do. Trust me people, being single is great. Great on the wallet too.

I'm going to leave facebook for one paragraph while I'm thinking of this next one. Here's a good one for twitter. If you're not famous and you have nothing interesting to say, please don't tweet 25 times a day. You fill up my page and keep me from seeing funny people's tweets like Kevin Smith, Dane Cook, Shaq, Bill Simmons and Penn Jillette. I was talking with my brother about how tweets should be interesting or clever. I guess you going to the grocery store is just not interesting.

Back to facebook. Photo albums with more than 60 photos are too big. I used to like the 60 photo limit. It made facebook stalking so much faster! Just kidding. But 120 pics in one album? Too many. What I do is weed out the crappy photos and keep my albums between 40 and 60 photos. You don't have to put every photo from the digital camera on there. Be selective, weed out the junk.

Also, people love pictures with people in them. Your landscape photos or pictures of flowers are boring. I am guilty of having one album of a day where I walked through a park. It is my most boring photo album.

I've heard some people complain about mothers putting up their child's photo as their profile pic instead of them. I really don't have a problem with this one. If you think your kid is amazing and you want it to be your profile pic, I have no problems there. I find that most people who put their kids on there do not like having their picture taken.

Learn how to post pictures that aren't the size of a thumb tack.

Don't use the F word in your status updates. It is trashy.

Also, going back to the first one, don't be rude on my wall. I have family, former teachers, co workers who are my facebook friends and will have to read it.

Please stop sending me "Mafia Wars" requests. Or any facebook game. I will never join. The only one I join is NCAA March Madness.

I'm not a fan of "Becoming a Fan" of...I will become a fan of my friend's businesses or if a friend asks me to become a fan of something, but most of the time, I don't like looking at that box on the right side of my facebook page. I've seen Become a fan of God, Jesus, and most recently, Worshipping God. Because I don't become a fan of these does not mean I am not a fan. I'm a fan of the Boston Red Sox, but not on the interweb.

Here's one you've heard before: I wish facebook would stop suggesting friends to me. Maybe once or twice I have appreciated who they suggest, but most of the time, NOPE!

If we've never hung out before, weren't in the same class, and probably never will get together, how come you're requesting me as a friend? Does that make sense to you?

Oh here's one that I have strong feelings about. When you request me as a friend, and I accept and say a nice hello, and then you never write back....what was the point of the friend request? I'm still waiting to hear from a couple of you.

Wow, I went on a rant there! (Calm down...Calm down)

Some of my friends have told me they do a yearly "pruning" of their friends. I need to get into this. What would your rules be for that? I would say if you haven't spoken or emailed for three years, off you go! I think I'm being nice there. The reason I don't delete friends is because I never know where I'm going to be down the road. Maybe I'll be in Virginia or Texas or New York and I have a random facebook friend I can look up. Actually, now that I think of it, I put this plan into play in Australia and a handful of my Aussie "friends" did not respond to my request to get together... Yep, I'm all for the pruning!

A couple more for you...

Several times in my facebook "career," some female "friends" have deleted me as their friend due to them being in a relasionship, then requested me again, once things were smooth with their boyfriends. Ladies, if you are deleting male friends from your facebook out of fear of the boyfriend, it is not a healthy relationship.

Don't take it personal if I miss your birthday on facebook. Somedays I don't check the birthday list. And sometimes there are six people with a birthday that day! I guess it's just luck of the draw. I think for every person I've ever wished a happy birthday to on facebook, I've included the phrase, "Hope it's a great one." So that's all you're missing if I forget to wish you a happy birthday this year.

Finally, I have no problem with older generations being on facebook. Good for them!

Feel free to leave your comments at the bottom with ones I forgot. I hope facebook doesn't delete my account for making fun of them a little. Imagine if facebook facebook-stalked me!

Finally I have to say I still do enjoy facebook. It is somewhat addictive but I'm not to the point of needing help yet. Have a good day.