TECH TALK: How to avoid Facebook faux pas

My morning ritual of scouring through my facebook feed to see what all my 4000 plus friends (most of whom I barely know) are up to, ended up with this as my status:  Facebook needs to add the following buttons to the bottom of status update boxes.

1.  “Who cares”

2. “You’re weird for posting this”

3.  “Wow, another self portrait of you in the mirror”

About 20 minutes later, I noticed dozens of likes, comments and even shares.  Reality is, this isn’t just something I think about or get annoyed by so let’s keep the list going.  What are some of the worst status updates that just scream Facebook faux pas?

A quick jog around the block, office or “survey” online is enough to get a lengthly list.  Below are the a few more to round out the top ten list of faux pas favourites.  Feel free to add your thoughts to the bottom of which buttons should come with how to respond to status updates.  Ready?  Oh wait – disclaimer time:  if you have done of the following, I apologize in advance.  But it’s annoying!  Ok here we go.

4.  Writing in another language in English so some of us have to sit and try to pronounce out the response. Example – someone wrote a comment in English but to be read out in Hindi.  I know, already confusing.  I had to ask him to translate because I just couldn’t make it out.  He got offended and told me to learn my mother language first.  Oh I’m sorry – I was born and raised here so I thought maybe English and French would be a good start.  Add  button titled: “SPEAK ENGLISH”

5.  Sharing day by day, hour by hour updates on your pregnancy or child’s development.  Add button “KEEP A JOURNAL”

6.  Publically shaming your lover for cheating, looking at the hot, new neighbour or staying out all night or any private situations need to be kept private.  Add button:  “GET REAL HELP“ 

7.  And the one button most people in our little survey want to see added to facebook is the “UNLIKE” button for obvious reasons.

8.  Those who like to list out what they’ve done all day, how many reps they pumped out at the gym and how much laundry they still have to do.  “GET A DAYTIMER” button on that.

9.  The best drama generating status updates are the ones where hints are dropped but no real information is shared followed by a don’t ask.  Suddendly you feel like you just caught the last minute of a soap opera…on the next episode….will Sammy survive?   This gets the “WHY POST IT THEN” button. 

10.  The super posed, hand on the hip, duck lips or the wow, surprise look pictures all need to be stamped with a big “POSER“ feature.

Question now is – are any of us really brave enough to use any of these “what we really feel like saying” buttons?

By:  Kuljeet Kaila – local media personality, writer and actor.   www.KJmedia.ca

The thoughts expressed on this blog are that of the writer and do not represent any affiliated organization.

Tags: do not post, facebook, facebook rules, need to be banned, pictures, status updates, too much information