Vox

To Quiz or Not To Quiz

I am going to violate Facebook etiquette (or not, depending on who you read) by commenting on a Facebook etiquette post. I've seen it posted on two friends walls, so it must be striking a chord with them.

Trouble is, the things he says are so annoying really aren't that bad - or are avoidable, as far as I know. So...at the risk of annoying people even farther, here is my take:

1. Update Your Status About Mundane Activities
   Perhaps this doesn't bother me because I am guilty of it, perhaps I just happen to enjoy hearing mundane details of my friends lives - or perhaps my friends aren't mundane enough to be truly tedious. Whatever the reason, I like it. After all, the question is "What's on your mind?" not "What deep intellectual thoughts do you have, or terribly important tasks are you completing?"

2. Keep On Poking Away
   I don't get the reason for pokes, but I can't say they are annoying. I've never gotten into a "poke war", but then, I just ignore them. Still, it is just a little notification on your sidebar - not really a major pain.

3. Sharing Your Quiz Results
   I can see this annoying some people, but I have friends & family who take every quiz that comes down the pike. I have occasionally taken a quiz just because I knew the previous friend to take it would be amused to see my results. You can ignore them if you choose, or giggle at them...which I assume is the spirit in which they are offered. You can also block each app from appearing, so the first time you see the "What color sheets should you have?" show up on your page you can block it, and never see it again, no matter how many friends take it.

4. Invite Your Friends To Some Sort Of Battle
   I have to admit I find this one a bit annoying but, again, you can just block the app. I don't know whether it tells the inviter that the invitee has blocked those invites, or whether they just think I am ignoring them - either way, it isn't much bother for me.

5. Reply To Broadcast Messages
   Perhaps because my friends list is still small, perhaps because I enjoy those mundane details, perhaps because I can ignore stuff that gets off topic - just really not something that causes me any issues.

6. Tag Your Friends In Unattractive Photos
   This is one I do have a problem with, but I also find mitigating circumstances. It would never occur to me to post (let alone tag) an unflattering photo of my friends. (I have found a couple of unflattering shots of me on here, though). Why would I want to portray anyone I care enough about to consider a friend in anything but a good light? That said, however, I notice that younger generations view pictures in a completely different way. They have no problems at all posting every picture, of every friend, at every event where they had a camera or camera phone. It is all about capturing a feeling in a 'bigger' way, so the quality of the image is less important than the quality of the memory it invokes.

7. Friend People Who Hated You In High School
   Ummm...why would you? And, if you did, why would they accept? This one seems like such a no-brainer I can't even figure out why it is on the list. If you don't know or like someone - don't accept their friend request. If you don't know or like someone - don't make a friend request.
   

So, there it is. Sure to annoy someone on Facebook, or here ;-)

Posted by Vox at July 25, 2009 12:03 AM | technology