There are so many things you can do with Facebook now that if you play it right it is a fairly good utility. There are things I do, and a few things I DON'T do when interacting with Facebook. You can conform your Facebook to meet your own needs, and by no means will my ideas fit everyone, but each thing I do has been from trial and error, and I've made some mistakes. The mark of intelligence is not making the same mistake over and over again. So here goes.
It took me a while to understand the Facebook wall. In the beginning I imagined a real WALL like out in LA with graffiti all over it. When my posts kept scrolling it really threw me off. Once I understood that it was more if a ticker tape than a wall I began to post accordingly. Like almost everybody else I put a lot of information on the wall better left in my head. To begin with my entire FAMILY was on Facebook and any small error I made got instant retribution from one or more of them. Being on Facebook with family is a little like having them live in the house with you. Did you ever wonder why a lot of families don't live with each other? Because they don't LIKE each other, THAT'S why! You tolerate them during holidays because it's a brief visit and they go HOME when it's over. Facebook never goes home. So, I slowly developed my first rule. NEVER discuss family on Facebook. This is the cyber age equivalent of "hanging out your dirty laundry." And putting such things on Facebook is like standing in the street and screaming about how dirty your laundry is to every passing motorist!
I never talk about personal problems. Nobody CARES baby! Especially mental problems. If you discuss your frame of mind you just look stupider, and stupider as Facebook consigns you to the loony bin. Now, simple questions are allowed. I mean stuff like does anyone in your area have a power cord for your five year old laptop. That's the utility part. But when you start crying over being broke, or arrested, or divorced you are just walking around in your cyber underwear.
Statuses should be kept simple, and to the point. Now i break this rule later in this article but, as you will see, I have my reasons for this and they're not bad, just my conforming Facebook to my particular needs. A good status is attending an event and posting comments and pictures about said event for people who may have an interest therein. A bad status is discussing your flu in glorious detail.
Sharing is nice. As I scan the news and the feeds on Facebook I find things that support whatever agenda I'm into at the time. Try to space it though. After fifteen or so postings about ISIS throw in a baby playing with a dog or something. Recipes are also good. Occasionally I'll come up with something good and feel the urge to put the recipe on my wall. People like that.
Language and violence. Remember I told you the original concept of Facebook? Keep that in mind. Posting things like horse whipping the president's daughter will draw you some attention, trust me! If you want to lampoon Obamacare, that's fine, but keep it civil. You'll attract more supporters to your cause
Arguing in the comments section. In a word, don't. When I post an article, on occasion someone will call me out. I'm always polite, thank them for the comment and they rant, and rant, and rant. Respectfully disagree. And please don't get a long thread going and then delete it because things didn't work out the way you thought they should have. I hate that. First off, if the thread is huge you have a good post. Thought provoking. Go with it. That makes for good reading and I mean, what are we here for in the first place? Losing a discussion only hones your skills, and just perhaps makes you aware of a position you hadn't considered. But don't argue, discuss! oh, and NEVER insult or ridicule a commenter. I've profoundly disagreed with someone on Facebook who turned out to be one heck of a nice guy, or gal. We just disagreed on that one point!
I really like the check in feature. I USE it. Like today. I'm driving to Austin, in the sleet, to pick up a laptop. I WANT my Facebook friends and family to know where I am. That, and since I never go anywhere I'm ashamed of, I have no problem with posting locations, and even pictures. If something should happen its very nice to have a record of where you were, and what you were doing at a particular time. Check in is a plus.
Using the friend feature. I went on a friend binge some time back. You've seen the deal. Facebook gives you this, "People you may know" thing. Invariably I get these incredibly hot women. Well, I don't know any twenty year old bombshells who want to be MY friend, ok? After getting slapped by Facebook I didn't friend for a WHILE. Then I slowly came back and would look at the suggestions. I friend people with my last name, friends of friends, and I mean REAL friends. Friends you've MET and touched their hand. I will accept friendship from a young, pretty girl, but I try to NEVER send such a request. Girls like that have no interest in old men trolling Facebook! Oh, and I vet these types of friends. If you look,at some girl's page, it's two weeks old, and she's friending every guy in sight, then that's a Nigerian. Don't accept that. Never EVER email such a person who gives you a private email during the first private message. Reddest of flags. And don't "Check out her web page" with pictures she DIDN'T see fit to post on Facebook! The NSA is watching!
When an established friend asks me to "like" a page I almost always do. A simple "like" is the least you can do in support of someone you've had an ongoing discussion with. Now, if the page is going on about denying the Holocaust, don't "like" that! You'll look as nutty as your friend. Might want to check a little deeper into THAT friend. Generally "likes" are cool. Everybody needs a pat on the back now and again.
Primarily I use Facebook as a ramp for articles. I have several pages and groups that I follow and when I write an article I pick the ones who may have an interest in that piece and send it up. If a group doesn't approve an article I don't take it personally. It's THEIR deal and THEY know what they're looking for. I try to stay within the parameters I understand they have set. 99.9% of my Status postings are articles. If I come up with a clever line I never waste it on a one line status. I store it on my notes in my iPad, and return when I can expand the idea. Usually the clever line ends up being the title of the article.
There are many more things I could add, but I think you get the drift, and even have a few ideas of your own. Like I said at the onset my ideas are not a one size fits all rule book. Be flexible. THINK. The main thing is take Facebook for what it is. A UTILITY. A tool! Use the hammer wisely and you will drive a nail. Get careless and you'll hit your thumb. Happy Facebooking!
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