someone needed to say it.

I’ve kept this post as a draft for a while now, and debated if it was worth posting. Not because it is any less important than hogzilla, but I have many friends who are guilty of these about-to-be-named faults. After talking with a friend though I decided this was no real reason to hold back.

I am a bit of a social networking site snob. I can think of no reason I will ever use a twitter or tumblr. I enjoy facebooking, but mostly consider it to be a joke as well. I had a discussion the other day about how essentially every social networking site is created for the sole purpose of self-promotion, and I believe that to be an absolute truth. People tweet because they think whatever they have to say in 150 characters (this is an arbitrary guess) or less is important enough for others to follow. People set up myspace and facebook accounts to see how many “friends” they can accumulate. And since these sites have been created with no disclaimer or guide to inform users of what is and is not appropriate, I’ve taken it upon myself to set a few standards.

1. Facebook is not the place to let people know your life is falling apart. Everyone has bad days, and sometimes those stretch into patches of just plain bad luck. But everyone on your “friends” list does not need to know how bad things in your life have become. There is actually a term for this, vaguebooking. It’s easy to spot, too- “wondering if it is worth it all” or “ready to just give up.” Having this as your status is a quick way to get people who don’t know you very well to give you loads of attention. More importantly, if your real friends are anything like me, this will only irritate them and they won’t take you seriously until you talk to them directly.

2. Facebook is not twitter. It is equally annoying when you clog my newsfeed with a different status every five minutes. I really don’t care. I don’t care.

3. Don’t put song lyrics as your status. If you’re still in high school and you’re using msn messenger and chatting with your besties, it’s fine. If you’re in your mid-twenties and still posting self-reflective song lyrics but always follow with, “they’re just lyrics, I really like the song”, reevaluate things. I really like the song Parting Gift by Fiona Apple. I think the lyrics are easily relatable, but I would never put them as my status, and I think the reasons should be fairly obvious.

4. Stop using your status as a way to make passive aggressive comments about/towards your ex. Everyone has had a bad break up(s). They’re tough, but the heartache (just like the relationship) is transient. The longer you hold a grudge, and the more you comment on his or her actions, will just add to the time it will take to get over the person.

5. Finally, stop using facebook to spread ignorance. If you have the urge to make a comment about a person or group’s race, ethnicity, gender, class, sexual orientation, or ability, stop, think about the one thing you have struggled with most, and imagine someone posting it as their status.