Facebook Fighting

A funny thing happened on the way to my Facebook page.

The other day, I went on Facebook. If you are my employer, it’s a rare event. If you aren’t, I could be charged rent.

I love to post newspaper articles and YouTube clips so that I can engage all of the interesting people I know that live around the world. But something has happened that I find concerning, and I’d like your input.

People who have never met, some of whom I’m embarrassed to say I have never met, are fighting with each other on my page.

I take full responsibility. On April 21, 2009, Claire Suddath wrote a great piece for Time Magazine, “How Not to Be Hated on Facebook: 10 More Rules.” I broke rule # 3.

Rule #3 is, “Don’t friend someone you don’t actually know.” Now I know what you’re thinking, how lonely are you? Imaginary Facebook friends and you blog?

My sponsor tells me that the first step is admitting that you have a problem. So here we go.

My name is Duch and I have a few “unkown” Facebook friends. (I hope somewhere someone is saying, “Hi Duch.)

Back to my story. Last weekend I posted a note on my page that generated 46 comments in 2 days. 46 comments? If you are writing a complete stranger at 11pm on my Facebook page, I have some thoughts:

1. Disrobe in front of your romantic partner—remember what we used to do at 11pm before Facebook came on the scene?
2. If you don’t have a romantic partner you have two choices; a) ask yourself if you should get off Facebook to find one, or b) if you have to stay on Facebook, pimp yourself on someone else's page
3. If you insist on fighting with people on my page, why don’t you ask them who they are? Maybe your swine flu comment seemed ill informed because you are fighting with a hospital chief of staff. Maybe you shouldn’t “explain” Jewish identity to the chief diversity officer at a prestigious university. They get it, you don’t—stop fighting on my page.
4. Did it even occur to you that you are making me look bad? Do you know how many PRIVATE e-mails I have gotten asking me, “Who the hell is that on your page?”
5. Finally, if you wouldn’t say it at my dinner table, don’t say it on my page. Oops, you really don’t know what my meal-time expectations are, because we haven’t met. So maybe we’re not friends. Hmm, so maybe you should get off my page.