Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Facebook Etiquette 101

Some people should learn to tell the difference between public wall posts and private messages. I do not need to know that Tweedledum is rendezvousing with Tweedledee at whatever-ungodly-hour and whatever-dodgy-joint, wearing whatever-gaudy-coloured-underwear.

Let’s keep those one-on-one conversations offline (yes, plank-heads – the catch-phrase “We'll take it offline” was invented with you in mind) where they belong, shall we? Or, if you must use Wall Posts, then at least learn to use the “Custom Privacy” settings to limit readership. Unless you’re feeling so unloved that you absolutely feel the need for the whole wide world to be privy to the details of your weekly diary and the contents of your wardrobe.

Call me a closed-minded grouch if you like. But in an increasingly-connected world, let’s not forget that there is a lot to be said for this precious, fast-diminishing, and nowadays taken-for-granted asset called privacy. Networking is not synonymous with baring all. The last thing you need is for some loose-tongued Facebook acquaintance (whom you probably detest anyway, but mindlessly acknowledged his/her “Friend Request” with that whimsical click of a mouse) meeting you at a black-tie social gathering and saying out-loud in front of your partner, “Hey, I read on your Facebook post that you’re sleeping with so-and-so.”

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