If you use Facebook (and we hope that you do), you’ve probably witnessed your friends doing some pretty annoying or embarrassing things. But what if you’re the one who is committing serious Facebook offenses without even knowing it? Here’s our list of 10 things you need to stop doing right now on Facebook.
Liking your own posts
If you post something on Facebook, whether it’s a photo of your family or a status about your awesome weekend, we already know you like it because you posted it. You don’t have to tell us again that you like what you posted. While liking your own posts isn’t a major offense, it does make you look like a novice.
Tagging people in photos they’re not in
Its one thing to accidentally tag someone in a photo when you meant to tag someone else, but it’s a whole different ball game when you purposely tag people who aren’t in a photo at all. Whether you do this to get more likes, or so that more people will see the photo, the only thing you will accomplish is ticking a lot of people off.
Sending mass messages
Sending out mass messages, regardless of what the message is about, will label you as a spammer. If you want to send a private message on Facebook, you must personalize it so the recipient knows that you took the time to write it. Also, think about the person receiving your message: will the content of your message apply to them? If you send a message to someone who it won’t apply to, they’re going to think you’re going through your list of friends and sending each one the same message.
Sending out mass event invites
Let’s say you created a Facebook event for your next Motives® party. Great! But let’s also say that you invited everyone you’re Facebook friends with to the party, rather than just those who would be interested in attending. Not so great. And to top it off, you do this every single time you have an event. Please stop! When you invite people who either a) don’t live in your area, b) aren’t interested in cosmetics in the least, or c) wouldn’t attend for whatever other reason, you’re becoming more and more defriendable. People don’t like receiving invite notifications to things they can’t or wouldn’t go to. The next time you create a Facebook event, please make sure that you only invite people who could or would actually go.
TYPING IN ALL CAPS. ALL. THE. TIME.
TO US, TYPING IN ALL CAPS ON FACEBOOK IS LIKE YELLING ALL THE TIME IN REAL LIFE. Do you see what I mean? If you think that typing in all caps will get your comment noticed, you’re right, but you’ll get noticed for all the wrong reasons. Not to mention that it makes you look silly and/or really, really angry all the time. If you want to accent a post, consider typing ONE word in all caps to draw attention.
Friending people you don’t know or have no connection to
Friending people you don’t know can potentially label you as a “creeper”. If you must friend someone you haven’t met in real life, make sure you send them a message detailing why you are requesting them as a friend. If you are practicing social searching and looking for new business contacts or customers, it’s okay to message people you don’t know (in moderation!), but don’t ‘friend’ them until you have gotten a response.
Being negative and complaining about everything
You attract what you put out, right? So why would you use Facebook as a platform to complain about everything all the time? No one likes a complainer or a whiner. Keep it positive, people!
Using Facebook to sell, sell, sell!
Repeat after me: My Facebook profile is not a billboard for my business. My friends do not want to be sold to. I promise to post more about my life, my hobbies, my lifestyle, my family, and my friends than my business. I will not post links to my portal on my friends’ pages, on brand pages, or anywhere else unless someone has asked me to do so, because it’s a waste of my time and I will be labeled as a spammer.
Not being social
If you think you’re “doing enough” by just posting to your timeline and not engaging with others, you’re wrong. A huge part of social media is about being social (surprise!), so if you want people to care about what you post, you’re going to have to engage with them, too. Engagement means: liking a status, commenting on a photo, posting on a friends wall.
App requests
If you play Farmville or other popular Facebook games in your free time, play on! However, just as it’s irritating to receive group messages and invitations, it also can be irritating to click through lots of game requests and notifications. If your friends want to play Facebook games, let them do it on their own terms.
While it’s not easy to admit that you’re guilty of committing any one of these, the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes! Now it’s your turn: comment with any additional “Facebook offenses” you would like to add to our list.