Think Before I Post

I was talking with a close friend today about Facebook etiquette. I am not here to point fingers but I just wanted to share my opinion on what seems to be in my face on a daily basis. More and more I keep seeing things on Facebook that makes my mouth drop or makes me feel uncomfortable. And I know if it is doing that to me, it has to be affecting others in the same way. No, we don't all have the same beliefs and opinions. No, we don't all feel the same or react the same way in situations. But when we put our words and our life out there for the whole world to see we have to understand that there is an actual real world that is bigger than Facebook. Our real world can suffer from our social networking decisions. I have a rule of thumb when I post something on Facebook, whether it is a picture, a status, or a comment my rule of thumb generally works for me. I ask myself, "Will this post/picture offend or hurt anyone else?" If for ANY reason the answer is yes, then I will not post. There are times that I have been SO CLOSE to posting something and literally stepped back and asked myself that question and decided against it. I am sure if you went back in to the archives of my status updates you could find something that I probably shouldn't have posted. And I am embarrassed by that. But I have made the decision to not let my words get the best of me and to think before I post.