I’ve made several rules/policies for myself regarding Facebook. Now, let me say that I enjoy Facebook, but there are a few things I won’t do with it.

1.  No “F” games – Farmville, Farkle, Fatburger, etc.

2.  No “B” games – Bejeweled, Bedazzled, Bewitched, Bothered, Bewildered.

3.  No games at all.  Or polls, or quizzes. Or what celebrity’s left thumb looks like your left thumb. Or what would my name be if I was born in 1754 but was captured by aliens and transported to 2568 and became an accountant. None of that crap.

4.  No “we think we found 2 of your relatives” stuff. I found them, too, without Facebook’s help.

5.  No “find out what so-and-so thinks about you” stuff. Some things are better left unsaid. I already know what some people think about me, and it’s not something I want to read as a big flashy announcement.

None of the first five, nor anything like them, because they all require me to give Facebook a level of access that I’m not willing to give. One virus via Facebook was enough.

6.  No signing into the chat thing. I’m proud to be a lurker.

7.  No commenting on things I don’t want to comment on. Maybe I’m not commenting because I’m  not interested in it. Or maybe I don’t agree with it, but don’t want to go through the trouble of hashing it out on Facebook. Or maybe I don’t get it, and don’t feel like getting into an online conversation just to figure it out. Or maybe I do get it and agree with some of it, but there’s just this part of me that wants to say “NO” when people demand attention online.

8.  No quick, snappy, cliche answers to serious spiritual or political issues. Not that I don’t love to talk at length about serious, spiritual or political issues. But that’s the point – being able to talk at length, intelligently, with understanding on both sides. Facebook wall conversations typically aren’t good places to try to expound heavy spiritual truth. The point usually gets lost pretty quickly, and what begins as “heavy spiritual truth” soon becomes trivialized.

9.  No whiners. If you whine too much about being tired, being depressed (that one’s a HUGE no for me), being bored, being busy, being sick – ALL THE TIME, I’ll hide you. We’ll still be FB buddies, but I probably won’t see 99% of what you write.

**Key to #9 – “All the time.” I whine sometimes, but I try to balance it with other stuff.

10.  Sorry, I only have nine. If I don’t feel like having 10 Facebook rules, then I’m not going to have 10 Facebook rules.

OK.  Just wanted to put those rules out there.