300,000 friendships lost

Burger King had the Internet universe all a-buzz recently with a Facebook promotion. The gimmick involved getting FB users to delete 10 of their friends in exchange for a free Whopper. Food was apparently more important than friends for many. After almost 300,000 friendships bit the dust over some meat in a bun, Facebook axed the program. Let’s not get too caught up in burger wars though, let’s focus on an issue this whole Burger King snafu put in the spotlight – Facebook etiquette.

As what seems like all of Canada spends hours and hours stalking – sorry we mean checking up on – friends and former friends on Facebook, we’ve been noticing a disturbing tendency towards bad online manners. So here are some tips about how to surf politely on one of the most popular social networking sites on the web.

We know what happened – when you first joined up on FB you got all excited about reconnecting with a zillion people, even those you barely knew in high school. Now you’re tired of seeing those virtual strangers’ status updates and wall postings. It’s okay to remove friends from your list...it’s not like they get a big red-flagged message that reads: “So and so doesn’t like you and has deleted you from their friends list”.

Here’s the catch however, you may ONLY delete a friend if you DO NOT have any FB contact with him/her. If you exchange wall posts and comment on each other’s status, it’s going to be downright nasty when they attempt to send you a message only to realize – gasp – you’ve deleted them from your group.

FB handily tells us when it’s somebody’s birthday. The polite thing to do is post a quick “happy birthday” note on their wall. However, you shouldn’t expect a direct response to your message. It is perfectly acceptable for the birthday boy or girl to simply change his or her status to “Thanks for the best wishes everyone!” and leave it at that.

Status Updates Witty, original and slightly cryptic status updates are best. Please avoid updating your status every time you’re about to embark on a new, mundane chore i.e.: “Steph is now cleaning the toilet”. Question: Who cares? Answer: Nobody.

Ask permission before you tag a picture of a friend and use good judgement. If your pal is in a high-profile position or his/her boss frequents FB, don’t post any compromising pictures. The only time you’re allowed to post pictures of friends and tag them without their express permission, is when you’re uploading an insanely flattering picture. Also, always, always, always ask permission from the parents before posting pictures of their children.

Please restrict your FB perusing to your noon hour. It’s easy for coworkers to tell when you’ve been shirking your duties if you’re constantly commenting on photos and updating your status between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

Happy surfing everyone!

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