Wall Etiquette

For this topic I would like to discuss Facebook Wall Etiquette. For the purposes of this article I would like for you to think of your Facebook wall as your home. In addition, think of your friend’s wall as their home. Think of your Facebook friends not as virtual avatars, but as acquaintances that you have in real-life. I trust you can already see where I’m going with this, thereby making the destination clear. I am confident that we will have a pleasant trip. So hold on for the ride…

There are people on Facebook that only have a few friends, and there are people who have 1,000’s of friends. There are people that only have close personal friends on their friend list, some only have co-workers/business contacts, classmates, or some combination of the aforementioned groups. The Whos and the Whys of a person’s friend list is the sole decision of the author of the Facebook page, the owner of the house.

Given that very basic notion, would it ever cross your mind to tell one of your friends who they can have as their friend or who they can invite to their house? I am sincerely hoping the answer to that question is a resounding No! That being the case, why in the world would it cross your mind to tell your Facebook friends what or who they should allow to write/post on their wall and who they should be friends with? It is childish and immature to try to dictate who someone should befriend, unfriend or Block. If the offending person is truly so abundantly and universally reprehensible, chances are your friend will sever their ties with them anyway without having an edict being issued by you!


What is even more disconcerting is that people are posting threats in their status updates. They will post “If you are friends with Jane Doe, BLOCK HER or I will block YOU by the end of the day”. Or “If I see you posting Fireworks or Roses I will BLOCK you”. Would you post a sign in your front yard announcing to your entire neighborhood that if one of your friends doesn’t sever their ties with a particular person, you will never talk to them again? Of course you would not because it would make you look like a blubbering idiot, which is exactly what it makes you look like on Facebook.

Be prudent with your posts on your wall and on your friend's wall. Many employers now ask right on your employment application if you have a Facebook account and they will Facebook you (yes it is a verb now). Conversely, we all know people that tend to use “colorful” language. But you need to exercise caution when telling someone what they should and should not post of their wall.
If you find your friend's posts offensive you can:


1. Use the “Hide” option so that your friend’s posts do not appear in your feed.
2. Use the “Unfriend” option to end the Friend Connection, but still allows you to send messages.
3. Use “Block” and prevent any further communication altogether.



This brings me to posting on someone else’s wall. It is not proper for you to post personal information on someone’s wall. For example, “Do you have the $50.00 I loaned you to pay your ticket?” or “I saw you at the party last night. Boy were you drunk and looks like you put on a ton of weight” should not be placed on your friend's wall. Posting personal information on your friend’s wall is rude and insensitive. Going back to the Wall-House analogy. Would you write a note of this kind and nail it on someone’s front door or erect a sign in their front yard for anyone perusing down their street to see? Issues of this nature need to be handled by private message, e-mail, or by phone.

Don’t try and hi-jack an on-going conversation on your friend’s wall. Let's say your friend has posted their "Leveled Up" post to their profile and several people are offering their Congratulations and well wishes, and you comment “Can someone send me blue firecrackers” that is thoughtless and insensitive.

This is seen as been underhanded and manipulative; you are trying to be the center of attention, trying to steal the limelight. You see that your friend has the attention of several people and what you are deceivingly trying to do is manipulate the conversation and their attention away from your friend and their celebration and turn it to you and your mundane desires. Let's go back to the Wall-House analogy. You bringing up firecrackers in the middle of your friend’s celebration is comparable to you crashing your friend’s birthday party at their home to ask for some insignificant fireworks. In other words, it’s inappropriate and rude, don’t do it. If you need fireworks, post it on your wall, ask your own friends.

If you see that your friend is posting a Zoo-related issue, don’t post a sarcastic/snide response because you think everyone reading it is going to think your response is comical and cute. Some time ago I posted “I am in desperate need of a donkey” and I truly was desperate. I was on Noah’s Ark and had been stuck there for weeks; I know you feel my frustration. In response to my post one of my non-Zoo-friends posted “Don’t you have enough asses in your life”. The post was totally inappropriate. If you can’t help, but feel the need to respond, then say “Sorry I wish I could help”, but don’t add to the frustration, it’s just asinine. Not only was the person not offering help they were making a not-so-glowing assessment of their evaluation of my life for all to see. Suffice it to say, it was not well-received.

You have to always keep in mind that each Facebook account is held by a real person. Each person is responsible for their own statements, their own friends and their own choices. It is very important for everyone to know and maintain their station whether it is in real- life or on the Internet. No one has the right to tell anyone who they can be friends with. It is close to impossible to tell your spouse or your children who they should be friends with, what in the world makes you think you can tell your Facebook friends who they can be friends with?

Just enjoy and nurture the friendships that you have. If you are capable of severing your ties with someone that you call a friend because of an alliance they have with someone else, really what kind of friend are you? Because if you are truly that shallow, and that’s what kind of friend you really are, maybe the friend that needs to be BLOCKED is YOU!


Happy Zooing Everyone!