Ten Rules to Follow on Social Media

Recently, it has been brought to my attention that certain kinds of posts are not appropriate to tell the world. I think we might sometimes forget that there are hundreds of people listening to us. Fear of public speaking seems to disappear when we can't literally see our audience. 

This list was compiled with Facebook in mind (with help from my very own Facebook friends), but if you use your imagination, you can see how it can expand to Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

So, here's a reminder of what your friends don't want to hear from you.

1. "Play this game with me!"
No. I play enough games. It's not a good thing, so don't entice me to play more.

2. Any post that has "TMI" in the comments below it.
I want to get to know you, really I do. That's why we're friends. But there are some things I don't need to know, you know?

3. Any picture that makes me want to close my eyes and keep scrolling while I scream, "Make it stop! Make it stop!"
It's bad enough we can't forward through the Sarah McLaughlin commercials about the abused animals, I don't want them popping up on the computer too. It's not that I don't care about starving orphans or beaten dogs, it's just that I do take care of my kids and pets, so it's kind of painful.

4. "Our President is so dumb... (how dumb is he?)"
Remember the days when we had respect for the man in the office of the presidency? Obviously no one will agree with everything our leaders say or do, but ridiculing the leader of our country is not honorable.

5. "Our president is so dumb..."
What's the difference? Notice the lower case "p." This is referring to the president of the company you work for. In this category, I am including all the "I hate my job" posts. (Some unemployed people wish they could say the same thing.) Let's generalize even more and throw in all the "I hate my..." posts. We, your friends, understand when you occasionally need to complain. We all have bad days and need a friend to listen to us. But if every post you put up is about how terrible your life is, we will turn you off. It's hard enough to get through our own problems sometimes.

6. "My husband is so dumb..."
I saw a great cartoon once that said, "Never make fun of your husband's choices. You were one of them." Seriously. Will he have more respect for you for insulting him?

7. "This person is so dumb, and I'm not going to tell you their name, but they know who they are."
Chances are they aren't friends with you on Facebook, so why are you posting this? The rest of us don't want to get involved, okay?

8. "%$#@!"
I know we are all adults here, or at least 13, but let's be mature here. Sometimes my kids are looking over my shoulder and I don't want them to read some of these posts out loud. That goes for naughty pictures and videos, too. I don't want to explain your choices to my kids.

9. "It's snowing."
I know. That's what the person above you said. And the person above him, and the person above her. And I have a window too.

10. "Here's my opinion, which is unequivocally indisputable, and here's a blog or article (which I have not bothered to check) to back it up."
Hey! Allow me to check out its validity on Snopes for you. Then I may let you know MY opinion. Though, to be honest, I just might not have the energy to fight you on it.


A friend recently posted how important it is to balance out the negative with the positive, so now I will list a few of my favorite things to see posted. (You are not me, so you might not enjoy some of these as much as I do. But, look for something positive here, if you can.)

1. Recipes you've tried to make and worked! 
Especially if they are easy, and I have all the ingredients in my fridge already... and it's going on 5:00...

2. Cute animals
I can't stand the tags of modified baby talk, but I love pictures of cute animals.

3. Your family
Like I said, I like getting to know you. I like watching your kids grow up.

4. Prayer requests
I'm always looking for ways to involve my friends in my prayer life. It also helps me see that you are human too and have problems like me. I understand you better than the "perfect" people I see.

5. Pertinent updates
I need to hear about accidents that happen on the road my husband drives to work. I wait to hear from my Facebook friends first if school is delayed. And please tell me if I missed an interception or a bad call in the game while I was away. Thank you.

6. Funny videos - under 5 minutes long
I don't want to spend my whole day watching videos, but how I love to a good belly laugh!

7. Beautiful pictures of nature
Some of you are really gifted photographers. I love to see your sunsets, flowers, beaches and so on. Or even if you didn't take the picture, post it anyway. It brightens my computer screen.

8. Bible verses
Who doesn't need a reminder? What a great way to keep Scripture in front of my eyes.

9. Fun questions
Get me involved. I love to tell you about me. But just a warning, if it gets too deep, I'll probably skip it, even if I DO have an opinion because I know I could stay on that topic all day.

10. What made your day
Be it a good deal somewhere, a good day, or big accomplishment, I want to share in your joy and be happy for you.

Let's hope you have not decided to unfriend me now. We can all enjoy your updated updates.

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