Classic Rant #1,009 (July 30, 2013): Facebook Fracas

Now that I am fully back in the saddle--and ready to tackle things at work during my first day back--I want to bring up to you something that once again reared its ugly head during my staycation, and continues to impact people who use Facebook.

And that, frankly, is people who use Facebook.

I have been on that site for a few years now, and I fear that most people who use Facebook have no clue about how to use it correctly.

Facebook is an electronic social gathering site.

You can speak to friends and the general populace on that site.

That is all fine and good.

But what you post on that site, and your reaction to people who respond to your posts, is what gets my goat.

I have been told once again that someone hasn't liked a reply I made to a post that was put up several weeks ago.

When you are on Facebook, you start, and enlarge upon, a list of friends that you allow to see your posts.

If you put up something on Facebook, it is my contention that you are looking for a reaction, even if that reaction is simply a "like," which is a spot you can click on within a post.

When you "like" something, in my estimation, it means you agree with what is being said, or you simply "like" what the person has put up.

Now, I have been told in the past that that isn't even true, that clicking "like" doesn't mean any of those things.

Of course, those who oppose my view can't tell me what "like" means to them, but what are you going to do?

Anyway, a post was put up several weeks ago by one of my Facebook "friends."

I am told that the post had to do with former President Bill Clinton, the teflon President who is beloved by so many people, even though his sexual improprieties while in office are very, very well documented (take that, Anthony Weiner).

Anyway, I have to tell you that I honestly don't remember the exact post, but evidently, according to the poster, I put up something that was against everything she said in the post, and it really rankled her.

Well, I am sorry it upset her day, but if you put up a post, you have to expect that any one of your friends can respond.

They can simply pass it by.

They can "like" it.

They can respond.

And they can respond positively, negatively, or be non-committal about it.

I must have put up something that was against the poster's beliefs and intentions, and that got her goat.

Sorry, but too bad.

Although I don't remember the post she put up, I know that I didn't use foul language like so many people do, and I know the response was written legibly.

But man, did what I say make her nuts!

But let me tell you, being thin skinned has not place on Facebook.

I have put up things that have gotten other people nuts.

I have received some of the nastiest, most vulgar replies you can imagine.

But does it get me nuts?

NO!

And the reason is that I expect a reply, and that is why I posted.

Positive, negative, somewhere in the middle, that is fine, I expect people to reply--my Facebook "friends," if you will, people who are my friends because we have like interests.

That is fine.

We can be "friends" and disagree on just about everything.

I know there are some people on Facebook who get this, and there are others who live in some type of fog and just don't understand what posting means.

It puts you open to any type of reply.

And yes, if you don't like the response, you can reply too.

That is the beauty of the whole thing, but it is lost on some people, some very intelligent people who should know better.

Look, I know that many, many people don't get Facebook at all.

They put up photographs and talk about things that they shouldn't be talking about.

Companies are starting to check out Facebook when looking into hiring employees, because they believe that a person's true character can be found on that site.

I don't agree, but ladies, when you put up a photo of yourself with your chest hanging out all over the place, what does that tell a potential employer?

And guys, when you punctuate what you say on Facebook with every curse word known to man, what does that tell somebody about hiring you?

One clear instance of this is with a local TV personality, who I will not name.

She is young, definitely part of the Facebook generation, if you will.

Before she got her current gig, she had a Facebook page that really was nothing with nothing.

She spoke to friends, and most of her photos were appropriate.

But most of her photos showed plenty of cleavage.

Not nasty, mind you, but some of the outfits she wore in the photos might have shown a bit too much.

Well, she is now a well-known personality, and you won't find the least bit of cleavage on her site.

Nothing, and I mean, nothing.

She "cleaned up" that site pronto.

She "got it."

And that is no knock on her. She is a pretty lady, and has plenty to be proud of.

But I bet that either someone told her to make some changes, or she just figured it was best to make them herself.

And that is fine.

She got the power of Facebook, and I just hope that others will eventually too.

It is too good a tool to not fully understand.