Facebook is a great tool for networking…but I also see a great danger for Facebook users, especially married ones. Facebook makes it easy to connect with old flames, classmates or even someone you always wondered about.
A UK site recently reported that the word “Facebook” alone appeared in 20% of its divorce cases last year. That ought to be an indicator that its necessary to set some social networking guidelines to protect our marriages.
Here are some guidelines that married couples ought to follow when using facebook:
1. Never hide anything from your spouse on Facebook…or online at all for that matter. Share your Facebook, email, and other online passwords with your spouse. This builds trust and communicates to your spouse that they are welcome to see what you are doing anytime.
2. Befriending an old boyfriend or girlfriend should NEVER be done. Don’t even go looking for people you dated in the past.
3. Never “connect” with anyone of the opposite sex. This means don’t chat, surf their photo galleries, or leave comments.
4. Remove anyone who crosses normal boundaries. Use your head…if a comment makes you uncomfortable or sets off that little voice in your head, drop them like its hot.
5. Facebook has a cool feature where you can put that you are married and even who you are married to. Announce it to the world with great PRIDE.
6. Don’t spend more time on Facebook than you do with your spouse. Communicate with your spouse and ask them, “Am I spending too much time online?” You want to make sure your spouse is your number 1 relationship, not your buddies on Facebook.
6. Use a picture of you and your spouse as your profile picture or post a few in your photos.
7. Never use Facebook or Twitter to complain about your spouse. Praise publicly all the time!!!
8. Don’t leave comments on people’s pages that may come across as suggestive. Use your head and think before you type.