Facebook etiquette for today’s grandparents

You know the feeling when you manage to lose the ticket, and you spot a TC on the train platform? I experienced a similar sensation when my mum decided to join Facebook. My dad followed her shortly. What followed was a series of posts that could have been messages, tags on random photos, and the game requests!

It is not their fault that things like this happen. In retrospect, I feel that I should have discussed with them, the Facebook etiquette. If you are a proud grandparent who is recently on Facebook, I have identified five potential areas where you could potentially make a few mistakes.

Everyone knows about the UNESCO and Indian national anthem hoax, or the ‘forward within ten seconds or…’ type of posts. There are similar hoaxes that circulate the internet every day. These appeal to the pride or fear of unsuspecting users and leads to false information being circulated.

You can quickly search the claim on the internet and know the truth! Just type the claim in the browser, and read about it from a trusted source. I recommend the sites where expert opinions are given rather than public forums. Be SURE (Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate) before you share.

You may find your long lost friend from your school on Facebook. The first impulse would be to catch up on his/her Facebook page. While it is not wrong, there is a better way to converse in private.

The Facebook page is like a billboard: what goes up there is open for many to see! Use the Facebook Messenger. It is a quick way to connect with people, and the conversations stay at one place for you to read it again. You can include many users in the conversation while still keeping it private.

Read on to find out more

You may upload the photo of your beloved grandkid for your friends to see. What you may not know is that if the visibility setting is set to public, anybody can see the photos. Similarly, you may tag some people in photos or posts, but not everybody would like it.

We understand your love for the grandkids, but uploading photos on Facebook may not be the best way to show it. Always seek permission from the parents before uploading.

Even when you upload, change the visibility setting from ‘Public’ to an appropriate group.

Before using the Facebook app on different devices, catch hold of someone who is used to it and understand the basics.

You may have discovered the joys of games on Facebook. It may help you pass the afternoons. But these games will ask you to recruit other’s help to proceed through the levels. Many people find these requests annoying.

Game requests are irritating, and most of the times, they are sent without the user knowing about it. The solution is not to give the game permissions to post on your behalf.

You may get an urgent phone call about some embarrassing stuff posted on your Facebook page. This happens more often than not, and it has a potential to damage the reputation you earned over the years. The most frustrating part is, you will not even remember sharing such stuff.

Avoid clicking on links. If you do, do not give any app permission to post on your behalf.

Facebook, like other forms of social media, is an excellent way to connect, interact and spread joy. It is especially true if you kids stay away from you. But like my parents, you may not have received a tutorial for Facebook. They will help you wherever you need as you once helped their stumbling steps. This way, the interactions would become stress-free.

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