Practice Management

Facebookable

By chucknewton

There is a new word in the English lexicon and in the Urban Dictionary.  It is "facebookable", and it stands for content that is considered appropriate enough to be viewed by the general public of the Facebook community, such as your friends, family, coworkers, and employers without having to worry about explaining a sketchy situation.

Well, I am here to tell you that whether on Facebook or not, you need to keep your blog posts appropriate enough to be viewed by the general public and others.  The same is true for your comments to a blog.

I am not telling you to not cover complicated subjects or touchy subjects.  After all, blogging (or blawging) is intended to inform.  It is suppose to be the subject of discussion.  But, it does not need to be such that a post or content would call you ethics, good judgment, or morality into question.

Remember, more than your silly friends are likely to read your posts.  Current and future employers might see it well after you have forgotten about it.  Blogging is email to the World, but it is not private.  It can be viewed by the World.  So think first.

And, I am not saying you have to avoid controversy.  That is impossible.  I recently blog a piece about a law school and got hate mail from someone that did not like the law school.  Everybody is entitled to his or her own opinion.

I think the point is whether of not you face a subject with some degree of thought and insight or whether you are just appealing to puritan interests.

And, maybe it is just a pet peeve of mine, but teach yourself not to use the f-bomb in your posts and in your comments.  It is not cool.  It is catty.  It shows a lack of intelligence and rigor.  Not a day goes by that I do not read that word multiple times in posts and comments, and this is especially true on political sites.  I am not offended by the word, but it is infantile and surly. The word has become an oddment of sorts that the less bothersome, less glamorous, and the more cherry, frivolous, unchallenging and puerile among us like to lob out there to disprove their own amiability. 

Ask yourself this question.  Would I be embarrassed if my mother saw this?  Would I be embarrassed if any particular person saw this?

So, remember to keep your blog posts facebookable.

Full post as published by Chuck Newton on February 12, 2008 (boomark / email).