Facebook: Should I post that? Or that?

Ever since I've gotten deeper into the whole blogging/Facebook/Twitter thing, I swear I find myself internally narrating my life during the day and thinking: "Should I post that?"

I hate that I feel this way, because one of the things I really hate is people who make mindless FB posts like "What a great day for a run." I know I've been guilty of some, but at least once or twice a day, I start to post something stupid and then stop myself. I end up posting to FB maybe once a day, so I'm hardly a serial offender.

The only reason I joined Facebook is because it was a way to sort of get a Where Are They Now? on people I haven't seen in a long time. I didn't want to know when everyone was walking their dog. However, once you get into it and start reading everyone else's silly updates about what they're doing, it sort of conditions you to look through your life in that way: Should I post this? Or this?

I've also recently gone through and looked at just who all of my "friends" are, to make sure I'm aware of just whose eyes are potentially seeing what I'm posting. For example, my boss is one of my FB friends. He never posts anything, so I sort of forgot he was there, but a couple months ago he asked me "How was your trip to Colorado?" and that sort of reminded me he's out there.

Anyway, has anyone else experienced this internal dialogue, as you think about stuff to post but then talk yourself out of it?

 

I am sitting ... on the ... patio.

 

It depends ... are your parents or other relatives Facebook friends? That is a large factor in determining what you should post.

 

Don't post drivel. No one really cares, and the few who do would prefer an e-mail.

At least that's the case for me. One of my best friends is on it, and she can't stand that I'm not. But she sent me a "sample" post to show me what I was missing. It made me more dead-set against it.

I love my friends, but if they don't care enough to tell me personally, it's not something I care to know.

 

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/4/23/

 

I'd go with the following: Post as if your mother, your boss and your worst enemy are on your friends list or can read your stuff. Even if you have privacy settings set to the max.

Facebook can be wonderful if it's used properly. I've used it to reconnect with people I haven't seen in years. In some cases, I've gotten closer to people I've reconnected with on Facebook than I was when we last saw each other in person.

 

Tebow, that is outstanding.

 

This should apply to FB as well -- Top 10 things not to tweet about:

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/twitter_stop

 

Best part about that list is a linked quiz at the bottom: "How long could you survive after kicking a bear in the balls?"

For the record, I'd last 26 seconds.