FACEBOOK is widely use by a large number of people all over the world, but many of us users do not actually know how to use the said SNS properly, so here are the guidelines that will teach people how to have proper etiquette on using a social networking site such as Facebook.
How you present yourself on Facebook says a lot about who you areâjust like what you say and do at school or with your friends. In all public places, online and off, itâs important to represent yourself as the kind of person you want to be.
Facebook is a community where people use their real names and identities, so weâre all accountable for our actions. Itâs against the Facebook Terms to lie about your name or age. Help us keep the community safe by reporting fake profiles to Facebook if you ever see them.
Itâs easy to get caught up in the moment and write or do something that may seem hilarious at the time. But remember, what you say can really hurt someone, or come back to haunt you. Think before you post. It only takes a second or two. Ask yourself if you really want to say it. Make sure you donât mind if your friends, classmates, or teachers hear about it later.
Also remember that any information you post â whether in a comment, a note, or a video chat â might be copied, pasted, and distributed in ways that you didn't intend. Before you post, ask yourself - would I be OK if this content was shared widely at school or with my future employer?
At the same time, we all make mistakes. If you find yourself wishing you hadnât said or done something, itâs never too late to apologize.
If you ever receive hurtful or abusive messages or posts on your profile page you have options. Depending on how serious the situation is, you can ignore it, ask the person to stop, unfriend or block the person, or tell your parents, a teacher, a counselor, or another adult you trust. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect.
Be sure to always report abusive contentâwhether itâs on your profile page, or someone elseâs. You can also report inappropriate Pages, Groups, Events and fake or impostor profiles. (Remember that reporting is confidential, so no one will know who made the report.)
Donât share your password with anyone.
Only accept friend requests from people you know.
Donât post anything you wouldnât want your parents, teachers, or employer to see.
Be authentic. The real you is better than anything you might pretend to be.
Learn about privacy settings, and review them often.
 For Employers and Employees:
 Some Facebook posts by workers criticizing their employers are "protected concerted activity," according to the National Labor Relations Board, which also found some company social-media guidelines overly broad. Is Facebook safe for workers?
Imagine you referred to your supervisor as a "scumbag" in a Facebook post read by your coworkers. You might expect to be looking for a new job very soon thereafter, especially if your employer has a policy that prohibits making disparaging remarks about the company or posting anything about the organization or its managers without permission.
In a case involving Facebook posts by workers for an ambulance service, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that the employee's name-calling was "protected activity" because it occurred away from the workplace and on non-work time.
The employer had refused to allow the worker's union representative to participate in the employee's response to a customer complaint against her. The NLRB found the company's dismissal of the employee illegal and the "scumbag" comment part of a protected discussion about a legitimate work-related matter.
Further, the NLRB concluded that the ambulance service's "Internet and blogging policy" was overly broad; the policy's references to "offensive conduct" and "rude or discourteous behavior" were illegal, according to the agency's decision.
The outcomes of this case and 13 other investigations by the NLRB involving social media are discussed in a PDF that's available for download from the board's site .
Crafting an effective social-media policy means more meetings
Most recent court cases involving employees fired for their Facebook use have been decided in favor of the dismissed worker. Even when the firing stands the court may find some of the employee's work-related Facebook activity protected. For example, a BMW salesman was fired for posting a complaint about the lousy hot dogs his employer served to customers, and for publishing on his Facebook account a photo of a workplace mishap.
 Don't let a Facebook post get you in trouble with the boss
I'm sure the hours people spend to create, implement, and manage an organization's social-media policy is time well spent, but nearly all the resulting policies will have a pronounced management slant. Here are some common-sense guidelines for the rank and file.
 Expend all internal avenues first. Don't take your problem outside the walls unless you truly have no other choice. Even if your Facebook posts are available only to your friends, anything you upload to the service can easily acquire a life of its own. It's a lot easier to keep the genie in the bottle than to get it back in.
 If you have to be negative, look for a positive spin. Facebook is so immediate there's not much room for second thoughts. Any negative impression you share with your Facebook friends can resonate long after you click the Post button. Deleting a post is as easy as clicking the icon in the top-right corner and choosing Remove Post. The Facebook Help Center  explains how to delete entries from the Timeline. Unfortunately, it may not take long for the damage to be done.
 Not everybody will get the joke. As far as I can tell, the people who like to send lists of the funniest fill-in-the-blank on the Internet and the people who like to receive such comical compendia have found each other. Either that or my spam filter is more effective than imagined.
 Separate your work-related Facebook posts. The safest course is not to friend any coworkers, but this is not always practical. Also, your employer may monitor all of your Internet use, including Facebook. Many companies regularly scan the Facebook accounts of employees in addition to the social-media searches that have become a routine part of the hiring process.
Facebook's lists make it easy to limit the information you share with coworkers, clients, and other work-related contacts. The Facebook Help Center  describes how to create and use lists.
 Especially when the subject is work, keep it clean. I admit to showing my age by objecting to posts that include cuss words. I've been known to express myself on occasion using certain Anglo-Saxon derivations not suitable for all ages. But Facebook and other social media are the Internet version of the town square. It's always a good idea to watch your language in public.
  By: Camille Ruth P. Fortun
