OFW guide: Don't like your own status, type in ALL CAPS, and other Facebook tips

As the Internet has changed the way people communicate, co-workers often have to interact not only in the office or via emails but also on social media sites like Facebook.

The magazine "Real Simple" said Facebook remains the "gold standard" of social media even though "the settings and designs might change more often than your hairstyle." The site "New Media Rockstars" said because social media is a relatively new platform, not all companies have clear guidelines on their employees' use of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.  

The site said some employees mistakenly think that they "have more freedom to troll, surf and comment at their leisure without being officially monitored or reprimanded." However, the site urged employees to "self-regulate" their social media use to prevent a crackdown or losing one's job because "wasting company time means wasting company money."

 

A Facebook page called "Official Facebook Etiquette" listed some tips on how to interact with other users of the social media site:

 

(1) Don't like your own status update

 

"It is pretentious to like your own status," the Facebook Etiquette page said. "Status updates about your mental state are cries for help make you look lonely and pathetic. Cryptic updates about how sad you are won't make you feel any better," it added.

 

On liking one's own picture, Facebook Etiquette said, "It is okay to like your own picture as long as many other people liked it before you."

 

On the other hand, when people like or compliment your photo, you are not required to say thank you to every person but "it is polite to recognize the compliments by a general thank you comment or a smiley face, etc," Facebook Etiquette said. If someone liked or commented on your photo, the polite thing to do is to repay in kind.  

(2) Don't post unflattering photos of your friends

 

Facebook Etiquette said "it is considered rude to tag a friend in a picture that they obviously do not look good in. Sometimes it is best to leave pictures untagged." It is considered rude to put people in a bad light.  It is also not smart to tag friends when you have drinking sessions or parties because their employers might see something they shouldn’t. On cropping out people from photos, there's no problem in making a solo profile picture from a group picture. However, for a normal photo in one of your albums, it would be best to ask permission first before cropping out someone from your photo as this may offend the person.

(3) Don't type in ALL CAPS

 

(4) Friending, unfriending

 

If you would like to send a random friend request to someone on Facebook, make sure that you have at least five common friends, Facebook Etiquette suggested. If you don't have that many mutual friends, "it may look like you were stalking one person and looking at which one of their cute friends to add. This can come across as mooching off your friend," it added. It also suggested sending a private message to the person to explain why you want to befriend them. On unfriending someone on Facebook, this generally is not considered rude.  "It is okay to delete friends who make no effort to communicate with you on facebook; that is what it is for, after all!" Facebook Etiquette said.

 

(5) Don't get too mushy Facebook Etiquette said it was obnoxious to "post mushy comments on your boyfriend/girlfriend's wall constantly." It suggested, "get an inbox," similar to telling others who are publicly displaying affection "get a room."

 

(6) Consider others’ privacy

 

Be careful about what you post on other people’s walls or photos.

 

Facebook has excellent privacy settings and you don’t want to spoil that for your friend.

 

The rule of thumb would be to “mind your own business” and stick your nose to where it belongs. (7) Posting about a party or big event

 

Facebook Etiquette said posting about a big event or party that you’re going may come off as bragging, especially if your other friends failed to get access to the event or weren’t able to buy tickets.

 

If you still really want to post something about the event, it’s okay to post photos after the event.

 

(8) Replying to messages

 

Whenever you receive a message or comment, the sensible and polite thing to do is to reply, preferably as soon as you can. Facebook Etiquette said, "It is rude to ignore a wall post for more than four days, especially if you have recent activity following the post, showing that you were in fact online, but unresponsive nonetheless." This shows that you are interested about the message that was sent or at the least you are being professional. "Inbox messages must be replied to within two days after which point they are considered ignored," it added. - VVP, GMA News