Daily Dose of Common Sense

It was recently announced that “unfriend” was Oxford Dictionary’s 2009 “Word of the Year.” (Don’t those Facebook holdouts feel stupid right about now?) If you’ve used Facebook to any large degree, you know why this word is so popular. It’s occasionally necessary to separate the “friends” from the “unfriends” on your list.

Some are bolder about weeding out than others. In fact, we heard of this status update on Thanksgiving Day:

“Time to slim down the facebook friend herd. Check back in an hour to see if you made the cut.”

Ouch. You can be thankful you weren’t that guy’s friend.

If you need to whittle down your friend list, we put together a quick guide to help you determine who should go. Here are eight reasons to unfriend someone:

#8: Anyone who announces they’re cutting their friend list and then asks you to check back to see if you’re still a friend. No thanks, ass-clown. UNFRIEND.

#7: Someone who habitually leaves inappropriate comments on your updates/links/photos. Usually someone you don’t know very well, he or she assumes they are witty. They’re not. UNFRIEND.

#6: Along the same lines, someone who habitually tags you in inappropriate photos. Yes, the “untag” button is helpful. But there’s a good chance mutual connections could still see it. UNFRIEND.

#5: Anyone who posts marketing messages (or SPAM) on your wall. This is becoming more and more prevalent as people use social media for business. Leave the business to LinkedIn or Twitter. Facebook should be about friends, not the weekend marketing seminar you’re trying to book. UNFRIEND.

#4: People who can’t be bothered with a real status update. “Jodi is” is not a status update. If you have nothing to say, don’t bother updating your status. Also in this category are the jokers who say, “Jodi is XYDFDKALJC” as a status update. Mashing your keyboard is NOT a status update. UNFRIEND.

#3: Those people who relentlessly send you invites to FB games. One word: Farmville. UNFRIEND.

#2: Anyone over thirty who continually brags about how drunk they were the night before or how hard they party. Maybe we’re just bitter because we have lives and responsibilities, but we DON’T want to hear about it. Besides, your mom is probably on FB, too. She definitely doesn’t want to hear about it. (Unless you were partying WITH her, in which case…ewwww.) UNFRIEND.

#1 reason to unfriend someone on Facebook: you can’t remember who the hell they are.

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Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• In order to avoid the chaos and tragedy of recent years, many stores have revamped their Black Friday policies. For example, Walmart stores will remain open Thanksgiving night and into Friday morning to prevent a 5AM stampede.
• You may feel, like me, that rude people abound these days. Well, one woman is fighting back, one intervention at a time.
• Kellogg’s has decided to stop bragging that Cocoa Krispies build a child’s immunity. Added vitamins were the company’s defense, but they have now rethought the marketing language after complaints about promoting a sugary cereal as a health benefit.
• Facebook prevented a 19-year old man from going to jail. Arrested as a suspect in a crime, the man was able to prove he wasn’t guilty by the time on his Facebook status update. Social media to the rescue!

And, some did not.

• A Florida man called 911 looking for sex. FOUR times. He said it was the only number he could dial after running out of cell phone minutes. What the WHAT?
• A 24-year old Texas woman lied about having breast cancer in order to get implants. She shaved her head and held a benefit, then spent the money raised on breast implants. Look out, honey. The karma train can be a bitch.
• Three words: Michael Jackson seance.

Here are some of our favorite brief Web stories from this week.

Some people had common sense.

• Science-Based Medicine has a great article on the dangers of homebirth with a midwife. It is the most dangerous form of planned birth in the U.S. As a friend on Twitter said, “Get to the hospital, hippy!”
• In an effort to encourage Californians not to drive so much, pay-as-you-drive insurance plans will now be offered there. If you’ve ever experienced their traffic, any reasonable measure to get fewer cars on the road gets a thumbs up.
• A Wisconsin woman called 911 to report herself as a drunk driver. She said she didn’t want to hurt anyone. We realize she never should have gotten behind the wheel in the first place, but at least she wised up. Most drunk drivers don’t have the cajones to report themselves; instead, they take their chances on the road.
• The two greatest SNL hosts ever–Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin–take over hosting duties for the 2010 Oscars. Smart choice by the producers, who must know that the show format is stale, stale, stale. Here’s hoping for a “Pete’s Schweatty Balls” sketch on awards night.

And, some did not.

• A company has released a $100 mobile device that connects only to Twitter. It doesn’t make phone calls or let you retrieve emails. Only Twitter. In case you didn’t know, you can get an iPhone at these prices, which will give you a whole lot more functionality.
• 53% of Maine voters denied gays the same rights as heterosexuals. Hey, Maine, you think gay marriage is immoral? Blag Hag said it best: Know what else is an abomination, Maine? Lobster.
• Because the airline industry is doing so well, United says “no” to track suits in first class. Shouldn’t they just be grateful that anyone can afford to buy a first class ticket these days?
• A man repeatedly saw Jesus’ image on his truck window. While many look to this as a sign, we think he just needs to wash his truck more often.

Here’s a clue, you tax deadbeats: First, pay your taxes. We do. What makes you think you’re above the law? Second, if you’re going to be a deadbeat, please go ahead and post pictures of your big new sailboat or share information about your new high-paying job on Facebook or MySpace. Why? Because the taxman has gotten smarter. Many state revenue agents have started to use social media to track down tax deadbeats.

State revenue agents have begun nabbing scofflaws by mining information posted on social-networking Web sites, from relocation announcements to professional profiles to financial boasts.

In Minnesota, authorities were able to levy back taxes on the wages of a long-sought tax evader after he announced on MySpace that he would be returning to his home town to work as a real-estate broker and gave his employer’s name. The state collected several thousand dollars, the full amount due.

I love it when authorities make arrests by using the criminals’ stupidity against them. Every one of these deadbeats deserve what they get. You can argue that we shouldn’t have to pay taxes, or that our tax rates are too high. But, one or two people shouldn’t be allowed to dodge. Pay up like the rest of us!

Photo courtesy of Flickr: Paul Keleher

A study just released claims that one in ten teenagers has posted a nude or seminude photo of themselves online. This incredibly high number should cause some head scratching. Like a hasty tattoo, these photos could be hard to later remove and therefore haunt these teens for years.

I have a friend who says that everyone should get nude pictures of themselves taken when they are eighteen years old. He says you’ll never, ever look better so document it while you can. Well, I didn’t and now that I’m sliding down towards forty, I have to say I agree with his logic. So, I certainly can’t begrudge teens for taking racy pictures of themselves. But, posting them online? We all know how iron-clad the online privacy is these days. Do these kids care nothing at all for who sees their photos?

I guess the teens uploading these types of photos aren’t planning careers in politics or anything with a morals clause. Nike might not be thrilled with seeing its star player’s bait and tackle all over the Internet, even if they were old pictures. Before she started scene-stealing on Ugly Betty, Vanessa Williams got in a little bit of trouble due to some nude photos, as have many other actresses. I guess if you’re going into porn, building a fan base with some nude photos might be a smart move. But, I doubt very many teens are thinking about future careers or potential employers. So, what about parents, teachers, classmates, neighbors, or other family members? Not everyone would want Mrs. Mitchell or Uncle Bob to see their racy photos on the Web.

Someone needs to remind kids about long-term ramifications and the Internet. Remember the Facebook privacy bruhaha from earlier in the year? The social network giant caught all kinds of flack after saying they own your content–even after you deactivate your account. Nothing ever goes away, folks. Not even when you delete it.

[Via PatsPapers.com]

Photo courtesy of Flickr: visualdensity

Bill Gates recently quit Facebook because he had too many friends. He had trouble keeping track of who he actually knew and which friend requests were from strangers. Although you aren’t Bill Gates, you may still have a little dead weight in your Facebook friend list. Here are some ideas on how to annoy those connected to you and potentially lose some friends.

Mundane Status Updates
“Joe Smith is tired.” Yeah, we’re all tired, Joe. Is that the best you can do? Continually updating your friends on all the mundane tasks in your life just may cause a few folks to de-friend you. So, keep it up with such snooze-alerts as “is bored” and “is going to the gym.”

Talk Politics and/or Religion
Politics and religion are two touchy subjects. People have their own opinions and it’s very hard to convince them to change sides. Talking about your views is a possible way to offend a few Facebook friends who don’t agree, especially if you trash the other side.

Take Every Quiz and Share Results
There are thousands of Facebook quizzes, and some are even entertaining. However, your friends don’t want to know which “Sex and the City” character you are or your Simpsons IQ score. If you want to lose friends, then take all the quizzes you can and publish the results each time.

Keep Sending Invitations
Mafia Wars and Vampires may be fun to you, but receiving invitations to them over and over again is just annoying. We realize that getting more people to play helps your score. And, we don’t care. Lil’ Green Patch may be a good cause, but we’re tired of it. So, if you want to annoy your connections, keep kidnapping people and passing drinks around.

Be an Over-Poster
Everyone has at least one or two over-posters on their friend list. These are people who update their status WAY too often and share links and photos galore. Appearing too frequently in your network’s News Feed is a good way to cause “friend fatigue” and get yourself de-friended.

Tag Friends in Unappealing Photos
Dig up those dusty old photos and crank up your scanner. Horrify your friends! Embarrass your family! It is especially helpful to find pictures where your targets have bad hair days, closed eyes, or strange expressions. And, make sure to tag the photos so everyone can recognize each other.

There are many other ways to annoy on Facebook (like over-punctuating your updates), so feel free to suggest some of your own pet peeves.

Photo courtesy of Flickr: jurvetson

Did you find your old boyfriend or girlfriend on Facebook and glance at his/her current personal photos? Yeah, me too. I’m always surprised when users don’t prohibit personal information from being shared outside their network.

Even if you are a casual Facebook user, you should think about your privacy. When signing up to Facebook, you agree that your personal information will be seen by others. But, who sees it and how it is used are up to you. Most members are unaware of the privacy options on Facebook, but it’s increasingly important to familiarize yourself with what happens to your information.

Recently, it was revealed that a third-party application on Facebook was using member pictures in advertising. So, your profile picture could appear in an ad without your consent. For example, a husband saw his wife’s photo on Facebook, only it promoted his wife to him as a “hot single.”

No, you won’t get paid–or even notified–if your picture is used in an ad as a spokesperson for a product or service. But, you can prevent it from happening. To change the settings:

1. Go to Settings
2. Select Privacy Settings
3. Choose “News Feed and Wall”
4. Choose “Facebook Ads” tab
5. There is a menu “Appearance in Facebook Ads.” Select “No one” and save

Here is a link to a great PC World article, “Can Facebook Be Private?” There are some good general privacy tips here, like how to control who sees your pictures and status updates. Also, a lot of the quizzes and applications can use your personal data if you have authorized them to have access to your account. This article will tell you how to see who you’ve given access to and how to delete any unnecessary ones.

Let’s hope everyone–except our old boyfriends and girlfriends–follow some of this advice.

Twitter allows users to send up-to-the minute messages about what they are doing. But if you’re traveling, is it wise to tell a large group of strangers that you aren’t home?

@joeschmo The wife and I are in Hawaii and loving it!

USAToday spoke to a man whose home was recently burglarized while he was away on vacation. He has over 2,000 followers on Twitter and sent frequent updates to the site while on his trip. The robbery could be random coincidence, but he suspects not.

One of the great benefits of Twitter is that you can follow anyone and vice versa. However, unless you keep your updates private and only allow friends to see your timeline, you don’t know who could be listening. Putting too much personal information in your social media, especially something that could put you or your home at risk, might not be wise.

Chances are, your followers on Twitter aren’t criminals who are plotting against you. But, it doesn’t hurt to be a little guarded with your personal information, either. Remember the old advice of never leaving an outgoing answering machine message that states you are out-of-town? Maybe it’s time to update the idea to include for new technology.

In case you missed any Daily Doses of Common Sense this week, here’s a recap.

From Monday, is Facebook making the summer class reunion a thing of the past?

On Tuesday, are you as tired of those long cell phone voice instructions as we are?

Wednesday looked at the nickel-and-diming of airline passengers. $7 for a pillow?!!

Thursday’s post proposed skipping soda in restaurants for a year to fund a family vacation.

On Friday, we discussed the outrageousness of the cineplex concession stand and shared the shame that we spent $4.50 on a small soda.

From Saturday, we had some advice for the sidewalk hogs of the world.