FACE-TO-FACE-BOOKED

For those of us who use Facebook, we've all experienced various characters.  Most can be characterized into one of 5 groupings.  Those who:  

- Offer up to five postings a year
- Post once a week
- Play application games daily
- Only comment/like others' activities, but rarely post their own
- Are overly active with their postings - offering an average of at least five a day

The latter categorized folks are usually in denial – not recognizing how often they typically post.  This article's focus is geared mostly towards them.  Usually their postings are either negative-angled topics or overloaded with a few categories such as animals, recipes, religious or political points of views, and/or every little thing they do throughout the day.  Their postings are standardly insignificant and, because of their overabundance, cause main page obstacles towards some of the more sensible postings from others.  Luckily, Facebook offers users the ability to hide postings from such folks.  I, for one, have done so with a few.  Isn’t that ironic?  Their intent is to share with all of their “friends”, yet many may have chosen to block reading their postings - without them even knowing!

I'm sure you have a friend or two that even offer updates on live activities that should not be shared with potential thieves (perhaps "friends" of friends) such as their vacation updates, dining-out locations, estimated time of arrival to their homes, etc.  I’ve made it a point with my immediate family to avoid negligently divulging such privacy vulnerabilities to the public.  Thankfully, they agree with me as none of us offer comments or travel pictures related to our trips until after we are home from our travels/vacations.  Even the content of the pictures are appropriately contemplated and often limited – commonly containing scenic views as the ultimate choices.

Overall, I like Facebook.  It's great for birthday recognitions, seeking answers to certain questions, networking to help find lost pets, and various other beneficial usages.  I probably average 1 posting a week.  Besides my after-vacation pictures, I typically post several loving or bragging comments relating to my family; but, the main topic I post about is related to my favorite team, the New York Yankees - especially since I also have a designated blog for them (www.thenyyblogspot.com).  Of course, as I mentioned I don't typically over-post (like every game's score) – only sometimes during the playoffs or World Series (when I'm lucky enough that they're in them)!  For my postings related to the Yankees, I even show consideration for the non-sports Facebook readers by prefacing each of those comments with something like, "Yankees' Fans:".  That way, the uninterested Facebook reader can simply scroll past my comments. 

It's a shame that some folks don't fully recognize the importance of courtesy and/or their own privacy.  Additionally, those who share every nook and cranny of their lives with everyone including their supposed "friends" on Facebook should consider spending some real time and love in a more face-to-face environment - away from keystrokes!