Are you a smart facebooker?
Facebook has become to many what Hotmail was to us a
decade ago. Check out the 10 etiquette rules to use
the happening online networking site
The internet keeps springing up surprises every now
and then which take the world by storm and change the
rules of communication then on. Sabeer Bhatia's
Hotmail fascinated millions worldwide last decade
while Larry and Sergey's Google redefined the internet
itself. Youtube did to video what Hotmail did
to email. Online networking, on the other hand was at
a subtle pitch before Orkut (A Google product and
winner of the 'Youth Icon 2007' award) came in.
Before you realised, everybody you know was on it, you
too have probably joined the cult. Facebook is thought
to be the more classy, private Orkut with
added features. (FYI, hope you know Orkut is now an
application too on Facebook!) However, like email, the
protocol of the cyber world it applies to Facebook
as well. Here is an an etiquette guide for the coolest
hangout in the cyberspace currently
Applications
No, you don't have to invite all your friends to every
application that works for you. Think about what
they'd be into and then decide. Vampires and
Warewolves
are the worst of the lot. Sometimes, when you join an
application, you get an option to invite your friends
to this application. Skip this step. You don't
have to force your friends to partake of your tastes,
every time. Secondly, though there are some which are
addictive, be sure no one's looking over your
shoulder while you fly your 'Jet Man' in the middle of
a board meeting!
Writing on the wall
Wall posts are cool, but you need to draw the line
between being fun and being vulgar. More importantly,
don't butt into a dialogue that is already in
progress. If someone else is discussing something with
your friend, you needn't join the bandwagon and make a
comment for the sake of it. People prefer
Facebook over Orkut for the privacy it offers. Use the
wall-to-wall option. Or it's much easier to email.
Photos
Tag only friends who are close. You don't have to tag
the whole world. Don't pass comments on other people's
photos without thought. Remember, despite
the cyber-ness of it all, people still have their
vanities!
Friend invitations
You don't have to invite the whole world to become
part of your cyber space. A lot of people are not into
Facebook. Think about who is special, fun, whatever,
but don't jump the gun.
Language
Depends on the type of crew you have. It can range
from zany lingo to cruder slang. But eventually,
decide. And get used to your friends coming to know
what you wrote on another common friend's wall!
Newbies beware!
Space
Sometimes friends can disappear from Facebook. Let
them disappear. They don't have to be online all the
time. They'll come back when the time is right
for them. Give them 'cyber' space.
Groups
Invite people to groups based on what you know about
them. Inviting a club kid to a 'save the earth' club
only reveals how little you know about your Facebook
'friends'.
Birthdays
You don't have to wish everyone on their birthdays.
Wishing close friends is cool. Or else, you might end
up being a bit PR-ish (i.e. the public relations
obsessed freak).
Be yourself
In the cool-th of Facebook, you don't want to lose
your identity. Be yourself, respect yourself, don't be
a groupie. Don't join a group just because it
shows many of your friends have joined it.
Sticky Notes
Despite all this, sticky notes are a nice, organic way
to remind your friends that you care for them, if
they've disappeared for too long. So send them one!
Why delete messages? Unlimited storage is just a click away. Go to
http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html
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