New to WorkLivePlayCafe? Subscribe to our newsletter and RSS feed! Thanks for visiting.

By Jessica Padykula

Facebook has been around for a while but that doesn’t mean social networking slipups are a thing of the past. We’ve taken issue with a few minor infractions that we feel should be addressed. Here then we share our top four Facebook don’ts. Once you read them, let us know if we missed anything particularly red flag worthy.

Don’t tag unflattering photos

Posting pics of everything from birthday parties and weddings to beach days and brunch dates is common practice – almost as if not posting photos means you weren’t actually there. It’s not the posting we have a problem with – it’s tagging unflattering photos of friends. Instead of tagging every image, even the ones where we have food on our face, our eyes are crossed or the angle of the photo makes it look as if we have a double chin (the horror), be selective and tag photos of others as you would like to be tagged: when the lighting is good, eyes aren’t crossed, there’s no evidence of multiple chins and the angles are flattering.  It’s only fair.

Don’t post blurry pics

Like tagging all 300 photos of whomever you were with (even the most unappealing of the bunch), posting every single photo you’ve ever taken – even the blurry ones, the fuzzy ones and the ones where you accidently took a picture of the sidewalk – makes no sense. Why do you want people to see the bad shots? While not necessarily offensive to anyone, it does get very tedious going through a lengthy stream of photos, only to realize that half of them aren’t actually of anything at all. Do your friends and family a favor and omit the photos that don’t show anything worthwhile.

Don’t get caught in a lie

Picture this: You’ve committed to plans with one friend and then something better comes up. You make up an excuse and skip out on friend number one only to do something silly like post a photo of you and friend number two having a great time (when you’re supposed to be sick or working or dog-sitting for your neighbour). Facebook makes it frighteningly easy to get caught in a lie, even when you’re careful. Even if you don’t post a status update telling the world how much fun you’re having at the beach (when you’re supposed to be at the office. Oops), who knows who might tag you in a photo, instantly incriminating you?

Don’t be negative or offensive

Your wall (or other people’s) walls aren’t the place to spew negativity, especially if someone will get hurt or offended by what you’ve written. Even if you think what you’re posting is funny or harmless, think before you post. Will someone’s mother see this? Most people we know are Facebook friends with their parents (and aunts and uncles) so you need to be mindful of how people other than your friends will react. What you plan to post might be hilarious to you, but is it a joke or story you’d tell your own mother? If not, either send a private message or tell the story in person.

Looking for more?

• The seeds of social networking
• A love affair on Twitter
• How to jumpstart your Twitter following

Image: mmmagallan, stock.xchng

What are your Facebook pet peeves? Let us know by leaving a comment below.