There are currently over 350 million users on Facebook, with the average user spending more than 55 minutes a day on the beloved social media site. This truth equates to tons of posts every second and tons of eyeballs on those posts! With anything we spend time doing, it’s helpful to think about what we are doing and the impact we have on others with what we share.  As we share more of our offline life online, many of the same conversational situations apply. In other words, don’t post stuff you wouldn’t normally talk about or show to others in person. 

I’m not asking your to be perfect or boring- quite the opposite indeed! I’m just asking you to consider the impact you have on others. Enjoy the thoughts below and find out How to Make Facebook Enjoyable For Me, Your BFF & Your Momma!  If you like this post you may also like these recent posts: Four Questions Every Blogger or Organization Should Ask,  6 Reasons I Still Use Facebook or Social Media Ain’t About Me: 5 Ways to Be Selfless on Facebook or Twitter. Many of the below tips apply to Twitter as well, especially if you link a lot of your Twitter updates to Facebook.

Things I Typcially Try Not to Post on Facebook…
1. How tired I am through out the day, because I stayed up all night & want the world to know.
2. How much I hate my job & how much the world should know about it (I love what I do, fyi).
3. Too much Information updates (TMI), “You’ll never believe what I just saw in the bathroom….” TMI people!!
4. What I killed, stole or beat to death on Mafia Wars. Not interested.
5. How many pigs are in my corn patch on Farmville. Really not interested. 
6. Pictures of anyone in their skivvies (trust me, no one really wants to see….)
7. Pictures of anyone with their drunk face on (if this is your thing, might not want to take pics & log it online).
8. If or not I hate someone.  I try to to hate people.

FYI, out to the the right of posts, there is a handy little button entitled hide. I like that button. I’m not suggesting you not be yourself, I’m just asking you to consider the impact your words and thoughts have on others.  Social media can be used to impact a lot of people!

A Few Thoughts of What to Post Instead.  Ask yourself these questions:
1. How can I help someone else?
2. How can I add value to the life of someone else?
3. What do I think people need to hear?
4. What do I think others will want to hear?
5. What is a struggle I am dealing with?
6. Is my struggle appropriate for the rest of the world to know about?
7. What am I most excited about in life right now?
8. Did I see something this week that I would like to share?
9. What is interesting in my life that I can share?
10. Do I have a personal story of something in my life that may be interesting?
11. What is something I have found to be true?
12. What is a memory I am creating that I would like to share with someone else?
13. What is something I have found to be funny?
14. What is something I have found to be encouraging?
15. What is something that I feel needs the attention of others?
16. How can I add value to someone’s life?
17. What friend can I encourage today?
18. Who is different from me that may broaden my perspective on others?

What other thoughts do you have?  What should we post or not post?