Don’t be a creeper

There is nothing worse than being on the wrong end of a social faux pas. There are small rules, codes of conduct even, for almost every realm of reality, from bus rides to eloquent dinners.

It should come as no surprise that Facebook has developed its own form of etiquette for its users. Status updates, photos, poking: Any activity comes with strings attached and must be considered in the context of everyone watching.

Thus everything you do on Facebook cultivates your persona. Choices and conduct on Facebook have consequences just like the real world. If anything else, this is truer for Facebook, where a friend request can grant someone pseudo-omniscience with nothing more than the click of a mouse.

Unfortunately, many people fail to grasp this concept. Or perhaps they simply don’t care. Regardless of the reasoning, it seems a little bit reckless for a person with hundreds of friends to air their dirty relationship laundry in their status. This is the real world equivalent of stating your name and then shouting your problems to crowds of people — and this would be socially unacceptable.

Point is, people should plan their Facebook interactions as carefully as those on a day-to-day, real-life basis. The impression you give people on Facebook can and will affect their opinion of you in real life, especially if they don’t yet know you.

This isn’t to say Facebook shouldn’t be fun,  but it is supposed to represent who you are. So unless you are the kind of person who likes to share their problems with hundreds of people they may or may not be very close to, think about what you’re doing.

On that note, here are some important Facebook tools to monitor:

Relationship statuses are huge. They are one of the more seldom-used features on Facebook and those relationships are damn near sacred. No relationship is taken seriously without being “Facebook Official.”

So respect the relationship. Putting single on your page means you are definitely single, make sure your joke relationships are obviously a joke, and most importantly, DO NOT break it off without consulting the other person first.

One thing no one likes is a cryptic, mysterious status update that sound more like an emo fortune cookie than anything remotely intriguing. In fact, more often than not, it annoys everyone who reads it and makes you seem pathetic.

“Everyone has pretty much the same problems,” said senior Adam Adamo. “Just suck it up and deal with it like the rest of us.”

The most rampant problem on Facebook is random friending. Under no conditions is it allowable to add someone as a friend you do not know. The not-so-subtle reason of simply wanting to see his or her entire profile is a little creepy.

And last, use the “poke” feature carefully. Easily the most awkward means of interaction on Facebook, the poke can be used to mock, flirt or totally weird people out if used inappropriately. So it might be just a better idea to avoid it entirely, but if you must, proceed with caution.

Again, remember who is watching. Remember it’s more than just you and your friends on Facebook and think about the rest of us, including potential employers. Please. No one wants to have to “hide” you.