Oprah and Zuckerberg Take On Facebook Etiquette

Finally, the two people whose opinions I value most are going to spill it: Oprah Winfrey and Mark Zuckerberg are going to talk about that fickle thing, Facebook “etiquette.”  What a relief!  I was afraid I would be forever unsettled as to how I should approach interactions with my Facebook peers.  And whom better to hear it from than a daytime talk show host and a college boy following in the footsteps of Bill Gates in more ways than one, eh?

The Wall Street Journal delivers the skinny on tomorrow’s meeting of great minds, noting that the agenda contains a discussion about the new changes coming to Facebook and a segment dedicated to answering user questions about Facebook etiquette.  The first part deserves a big “meh.”  Not that the changes aren’t welcome…just that I really don’t see how productive or insightful (or even lengthy) a discussion on that topic can be on the Oprah show.  But then again, she is a talented woman. 

The second part, however, just makes my skin tingle with excitement.  Now, I would never claim to have the expertise of Oprah on the matter, or even the site’s founder, Zuckerberg, but I think the topic of Facebook etiquette deserves a little face time.

I’d like to suggest three premises at which all Facebook users should begin.  First off, it’s important to note that Facebook etiquette rules are not the same as those of Twitter, and certainly not the same as those of MySpace, Youtube, FriendFeed, or any of the other numerous social networking and media sites.  Second, you should know that the rules aren’t set in stone.  In fact, they evolve just as frequently as Facebook receives updates and facelifts, if not more frequently.  Third, if you try to hard to fit in, you’re going to stick out.  Facebook is fun, so don’t make it a tedious task of imitating those you consider to be popular users.  Facebook is a wave, and it’s better to enjoy the ride than to swim against it.  

I’ll be taking some time later to detail more etiquette principles for Facebook, but here’s one:

1. Do not be a creeper!

It’s acceptable to “creep” someone’s photos, wall posts, videos and notes, meaning keeping tabs on others without them knowing.  Really, it’s fine.  College folks joke about creeping all the time…it’s accepted.  It is something else entirely to leave little creepy (note: creepy is different than creeping) notes on people’s statuses, send friend requests to the friends of someone you’re creeping, poke people that aren’t your friends, and generally make it aware that you are actively maintaining a greater interest in someone than they are taking in you.  There’s creeping, and then there are creepers.  Get it straight.

Anyone else have Facebook rules of etiquette to share?

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