I’m not a big fan of rules, but I am a big fan of manners. Especially when it comes to Facebook and online etiquette.  Lately, I have seen things in my newsfeed that were just darn right inappropriate or, what I would label – TMI – too much information!  So, here are some pointers for you if you suffer from this same problem.

1) Adjust  your settings if someone is over-sharing.  Just click on the top right-hand corner next to their name in your newsfeed and select All updates, Most updates, or Only important updates. You can also unsubscribe from the person, unsubscribe to all updates by the person or Hide story or Report as spam if it’s really abusive and offensive.

2) Sharing photos is huge on Facebook.  Keep in mind that whatever you post is in a public forum. Pictures from your latest vacation is fine – if you keep them under ten or so. No one really wants to scroll through them all.  You can send the entire photo album to a friend privately.  Pictures of you or others in comprising positions or situations is not appropriate, especially if you have an active business page linked to your personal page.

3) Tagging people in photos is usually acceptable, but if you are tagging someone for the first time and you do not know them well – send them a private message and ask if it’s OK with them. Similarly, if you do not want to be tagged without your knowledge, set your privacy settings so you get an email first – before the tagging goes public. You can approve or disapprove at your discretion.

4) Think carefully about your content.  Engaging posts are fun. Asking questions to get opinions about something seemingly meaningless is not.  An intriguing, humorous picture and asking people to write a caption is creative.  A gross picture or religiously slanted comment is tasteless.  Make your content count – be memorable and authentic.

5) Posting innocuous statements like ” I  meant to do that an  hour ago” says nothing. What does that even mean?  Something like “An hour ago I finally got up the nerve to apologize to Sue” is detailed enough to draw some comments and questions that you should be prepared to answer. If you post something that leaves a doubt in someone’s mind about what the heck you mean, be prepared to spill the beans, all of them!

Social media is just that – social. Think about what you are saying and how it will be interpreted on the other end.  If you have to pause before you hit “post” because you are not certain you really want it to be broadcast publicly, you probably shouldn’t do it.

What kind of posts bother you the most?  Have you ever posted something you later regretted?

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