Have we no manners??

I've been violated. Or, at least that is how I see it with my latest run-in on FB. All along, my biggest concern about joining FB was the privacy, or lack thereof. After much persuasion, I ventured into social media-land regardless and to my surprise it's been amazing - just in the number of old friends I have been able to reconnect with. That is until today.

Today, I opened my inbox to a rash of messages from friends demanding to know who the hell "So and So" was, because this person had invited god knows how many of my friends to be his friends. 99.9% of these he has never met, knows not how I know them nor how they came to be my FB friends and his perception was that this is acceptable FB behavior. Now, I am sure we have all gotten the completely random FB friend request, and we accept it or ignore it, and it's no big deal. But suddenly, when one of your own friends does it, and it results in an influx of messages into your inbox, it is a completely different story. It's the online version of a party crasher, and I did not react well.

So, in an effort to determine whether or not my reaction was completely irrational, and whether I should block him and go hide my head in the sand after sending a note of apology to all my friends, I googled "Facebook Etiquette". We should all take note with this quick refresher on proper behaviour on FB, and use these Top 10 as our "Facebook Mantra":

1. One should NOT friend another with whom they have no association with, that is without a proper introduction. You don't want to be the creepy dude on FB, do you?? Oh, and for those of you who are still single, it is recommended that you wait 2 days before friending someone you hooked up with.

2. If you must "Poke", do so with moderation and caution.

3. In conversations with fellow FB members, be careful not to let on that you know everything about them, even if they have plastered their page with gory details about thier latest breakup or conquest. Stalk secretly all you want, but in conversation do respect some level of (dare I say) privacy, otherwise you are right back in the "creepy" category.

4. Keep a clean profile page - avoid abusive posted items, notes, information or wall posts. And post pictures that include clothing - lack thereof is just wrong, no matter how you slice it.

5. Treat FB friends with respect - respect their views, even if they are of lesser quality or you perceive them to be wrong.

6. RSVP'd event attendance must be respected and upheld.

7. Tell the truth. (this is worth multiple mentions)

8. Be gentle and patient with non-savvy FB users (like the elderly and small animals).

9. Help friends who seem to be in distress - reach out to them, share the love.

10. Lastly, FB is not an acceptable replacement for socializing offline. Make time for your friends outside FB.