Facebook 101

I saw the worst thing on Facebook this morning.

If you use Facebook, you've probably seen the "Relationship Status" field where users indicate if they're single, in a relationship, married, etc. You've probably also seen your friends switch from "Single" to "In a Relationship" or from "In a Relationship" to "Engaged" -- because it gets broadcast to the entire community.

So, this morning, a dear old friend switched his status from "In a Relationship" to "Single." He's been in this relationship for years, and he's probably devastated -- and now everyone in his Facebook community knows it.

To make matters horrifyingly worse, a mutual acquaintance from high school commented on his relationship status saying, "OH MY GOD!!!!! WHAT HAPPENED?!"

Really? If I could punch her through Facebook, I would.

Don't let this happen to you. Break-ups are hard enough without them being announced to your entire Facebook community for comment and ridicule. So, if you use Facebook, here's a public service announcement from me to you:

1. Click settings "Settings"
2. Choose "Privacy"
3. Choose "News Feed and Wall"
4. UNCLICK "Change relationship status"
5. Save your changes

Voila! Now you can change your relationship status, and Facebook will not broadcast it to all your friends.

Or, better yet, edit the information on your profile and leave the relationship status blank -- this will alleviate all those awkward conversations about when to change your status when you're dating someone!

Happy Tuesday,
MM