There are 350 millions Facebook members who collectively spend more than 10 billion minutes logging on to the website every day. With the introduction of Facebook application on mobile devices like I-phone, everybody can update their status, upload photos and leave comments on the go. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (unless you’re a student who supposed to be studying for exams etc), but the kind of behaviour that is being shown by the Facebook addicts has now reached a level that can be referred to as annoying and in worse cases, disturbing.

I have seen people updating their status every ten minutes telling their so-called ‘friend’ (I am one of them) that they were on their way to the gym, stuck in the traffic jam, putting their gym socks on and the whole step by step thing until they are finally on the treadmill. How crazy is that? Don’t let me get started on a mother who’s totally obsessed with her first child or newlyweds who love to share sometimes too intimate secrets of their married life with the rest of their Facebook friends. Why can’t they just ask themselves one very simple question; is there anybody out there who gives a damn about all this?

And then there are also people who will randomly add you up to his or her friend list without even saying ‘hello’ first, uploading and tagging random photos from the past without asking permission and what about those who spam your account with all those crazy application invitations? I started to ask myself, are these kind of behaviour acceptable in real life?

The answer to the question is clearly ‘no’. But instead of trying to change other people, I decided we have to first change our own Facebook-habit to avoid any future possible encounters with any of these annoying characters and also to prevent ourselves from turning into one.

Breaking the habit

1. Go easy on the photos. Don’t upload self-captured photo of yourself in the bathroom. Look at what happened to Pete Wentz and Rihanna. If there’s any group photo in which your friend looks very unflattering (read: fugly), don’t upload them. You don’t have to be that mean.
2. Don’t update your status more than once every day. Save it for your Twitter instead because nobody cares about your dog having stomach flu or if the dress that you bought yesterday was too tight. We don’t care about what you had for lunch either.
3. Stop bragging about your kids, your married life and your vacation. Try and be sensitive about other people’s feeling. They might not say it to your face but your single, unattached and extremely busy (or those who couldn’t afford vacation) friends are just a few steps away from deleting you from their friend list.
4. If you still have that pending friend request from your boss, ask yourself this question; do I have anything to hide? If you feel that your weekly updates of party shots or constant cussing on your profile wall is not really a big deal, then just go ahead. But if you ask me, I don’t think my social life and work can be placed next to one another.
5. And finally, recognize the whole point of having a Facebook account in the first place. Facebook is a place for you to reconnect with friends, exchange ideas and make some new friends along the way. Go easy on the status updates, revealing photos and personal comments. If you have mental instabilities, go to the shrink and don’t plaster your feelings all over the Facebook walls. If you had a great time at a five-star restaurant the night before, upload photos of you having fun and don’t scan the receipt for the food that you paid for. And if you have something to say to your best friends, send a text and don’t write them on their walls.

So with this step by step guide, you are well on your way to a whole different level of Facebook experience. Trust me.

Photos from: freedigitalphotos.net

Possible related posts...

• How about trying a new outfit without taking off the one underneath?
• What Is Acceptable On Facebook?
• RM1.8 Million: Too Much?
• F & F: Fabulous Fashionistas, Only At Tesco
• Mother’s Day Contest On The Go