How to Facebook

Social Media is definitely a thing. It is not going away anytime soon. It’s a great way to communicate.  It’s a great way to keep up with friends and family. You can connect with lost friends.  You can join causes. But you know that.

It seems that lately, things are getting a little out of hand.  Social Media has become ugly, combative and polarizing. This is scary when you realize we are just ramping up to next year’s election.

Top ten rules to keep “social” in Social Media:

1.    Pictures are always good.  I love seeing where you have been, what you have seen, and how cute your kids and grandkids are.  I can tolerate your cat and dog pictures.  I don’t particularly care about your cat but since it makes you happy, I’m ok with it.  It’s only fair; you have to put up with my car pics. 1a. Speaking of pictures; slow down with the selfies.  Yes, you are attractive, but you don’t have to rub it our faces.  Oh, BTW, backgrounds of bathrooms tend to make you less appealing.

2.    Root, root, root for the Home Team.  Air it out, support your favorite team, your favorite music, your favorite microbrew.  The key here is for me not to not comment that your team sucks. I’ll make own post; it’s free and more satisfying.  If everyone liked the same thing, there would be less competition and the lines would be longer.

3.    Just the Facts, Ma’am. This is very important. I am ok with you supporting a different political party, church, and different color Power Ranger as long as your posts and shared news stories are factual.  I get it that everyone has their opinion and slant but if you are smart enough to use Facebook, you are smart enough to check your sources.

4.    Satire. Please acknowledge the literary genius of satire.  If it reads outrageous, it was meant to be.  You don’t need to point out that something on The Onion may or may not have happened.

5.    Not my thing. We all choose our battles.  Your cause may not be my cause. My passions may not be your thing.  Get it?

6.    Stay on subject.  Don’t argue for abortion on a post about freedom of speech.  Don’t comment about free speech on a post about wages.  Don’t be the girl you wish you hadn't started a conversation with at a party. Just don’t.

7.    DON’T EVER YELL! Sorry. Settle down and come back when we talk about this like adults.

8.    Don’t get so easily offended.  Sheesh.  We all have our right to our own opinion.  If mine is wrong, help me learn what is right. I won’t listen if you attack me. Opinions should be expressed as personal attacks.  Well, maybe if you are prone to doing and saying dumb shit.

9.    Stay Friends. Friendships are more important and run deeper than ideology, religion, and voting records. Threatening to un-friend me proves the level of our friendship. Don’t threaten me, just do it. I’ll understand.

10. Have real friends.  It may be good to put the phone down, close the laptop and engage is conversations with real people. It may work out to offer better life experiences for all of us.