If You Can't Stand the Heat Stay Off the Social Networking Sites

Hi, my name is Colleen and I am a Facebook addict!

There I said it, and it was not such a difficult admission after all. I have to admit that Facebook and other social networking sites have probably as much saved me from my insanity, as they have contributed to it!

You see, I am up at all hours of the night and it is comforting to log onto sites and see friends who are also on line at that time, and be able to chat and catch up if need be, or simply read what they have to say, comment, or even ignore, and move on. I've often posted something in the wee hours of the morning, only to have someone comment shortly thereafter, sometimes one of my local friends, or sometimes one of my overseas friends, who are actually awake during (their) daylight hours.

But social networking can be dangerous and one needs to maintain a sense of humour and have a great sense of self and be secure before embarking on social networking. It is not for the faint hearted or the overly sensitive, because people post stuff, friends write stuff, say stuff, complain about issues and others, and if you're the type of person who might be inclined to jump to conclusion, then social networking might not be for you.

My site got me into trouble when a person who I know completely miscontrued a post which I had made on my wall. Failing to notice that fact that I had 269 other friends on my site, and that the world does not revolve around them, there was an outburst, followed by accusations, and the matter snowballed out of control. No matter how much I pointed out that this was not about said person, there was an air of indignation and disbelief and complete disregard for the fact that this was really not about them.

Needless to say I was irate about the fact that this had been taken completely out of context, with scant regard for my circumstances. Yes, perhaps in life people say things which can coincidentally be related to matters which may be occurring with you, but it is like a horoscope - you and hundreds of others could probably relate.

It is thus wise, to not be swift with judgment and accusations in instances which relate to social network sites, and it could lead to problems. There are, however, instances of "if the shoe fits, wear it" though and if your conscience is pricking you, then perhaps it is better to consider your own behaviour and why your conscience may be doing just that - after all conscience is one of the psyche's best judges.

Social networking sites should be for entertainment and fun. Yes, we are able to vent, rant, rage, laugh, share and much, much more, but we should be mindful of our reactions in terms of what others are saying. I enjoy using my social networking for a variety of activities, one of which is blowing off steam, but the majority of my friends, in fact I can happily say, all of my friends are rather blaise when it comes to matters of life, the universe and everything and will laugh instead of crying, even if they realise they are having the mickey taken out of them.

Thus, my suggestion is to take using any social networking site with a pinch of salt. If you want to be more serious with your interaction with your friends, then rather resort to personal communication, such as personal email, or text messages, and don't allow your social networking site become the root of all evil.

I've known friendships to be destroyed due to miscommunications on social networking sites, I've known working relationships which have too. People squabble with friends of their friends, and make nasty and underhand comments. Couples wrongly assume that their significant others might be having an affair if they notice that a member of the opposite sex is communicating with them.

That a statement or comment, a few tiny words, can result in this is appalling, and what is even more appalling is if you are using your social networking site for this very purpose. While you might be inclined to rant now and then, and if you're hiding behind a social networking site instead confronting a person head on then networking is really not for you. Perhaps then it is best to pick a playground, pick a proper fight and leave the socialising to those who actually want to do just that - socialise!