Reality Check: Are You One of Those Annoying People on Facebook and Twitter?

By: Ronnie Koenig

You Photograph Every Meal You Cook
Is your first name Giada? If not, no one cares about seeing your culinary creations. We're inundated with enough food shows, magazines and books so unless that jar of Barilla that you doctored with oregano and black pepper got you on Top Chef, we really aren't interested.

"Unless you're a food blogger, your food pictures are probably annoying to your friends for a variety of reasons, mostly because you either took them with a crappy cell phone, the presentation isn't that great, or they might just hate you because your picture of gourmet lobster Mac 'n Cheese might not be on their diet plans," says Tori Kyes, founder of Plastick Media.

If you're inviting us over for dinner, then that's another story. Otherwise, keep the food porn to yourself!


You're Addicted to Clicking the "Like" Button
It's fine if you genuinely relate to a friend's status update, but when you're always virtually complimenting someone you haven't seen since high school, it can come off as insincere.

"Randomly liking everyone's posts diminishes the meaning," says Dana Kaye, social media expert and owner of Kaye Publicity. "Facebook is about interacting and re-connecting online." Come on, did you really like the fact that some random acquaintance got an oil change?


You Write Personal Messages on People's Wall
We're always baffled when people write personal messages for all to see (i.e. let's meet at Starbucks at 2:45 p.m.). Seriously hun, that's what your inbox is for. The same thing goes for love notes to your schnookums and inside jokes that only one out of your 362 friends will get.

"There's a reason Facebook created a private messaging system," says Kaye. "Personal messages about meeting your friend or saying hi to your significant other don't belong on your wall. It can also alienate your other friends -- why weren't they invited to brunch?" Save your wall posts for happy birthday wishes and do your personal business via email or text (or even an old fashioned phone call).


You Give Deets About Your Sex Life
If it's anything more than "Christian Bale/Anne Hathaway is so hot in the new Batman movie" you can bet that it's TMI.

"Unless you're a dating columnist or a sex expert, there shouldn't be anything sexual in your timeline," says Kaye. "It makes everyone uncomfortable and since it's online, it will remain there forever. Would you want your boss or your mother reading the post?" If the side ads on your FB page are for condoms, KY Jelly and Planned Parenthood it might be a clue that you're making us all throw up in our mouths.


You Get Trigger Happy with the Tag Button
Your best friends have threatened to stop hanging out with you if you tag them in one more picture where you look great and their back fat is showing.

"You don't want unflattering photos of yourself online and neither do your friends," says Kaye. "Just as with the case of randomly liking every post, it loses meaning if you post every photo you take." Don't just upload every pic on your camera. Instead, ask yourself: If this was a picture of me, would I want the world to see it? A little bit of mindful editing can go a long way toward preserving friendships.

Get 10 more signs that you are Annoying on the Internet atiVillage.com.

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