Facebook Can Ruin Your Relationship

By: Amanda Anderson

Good old Facebook! It’s a great place to reconnect with long lost friends and family members, and it’s also a great place to end your relationship in front of your entire friends list. While I am not one of those unlucky people to have a public break up for cyberspace to see, I have seen it happen so much, that it makes me wonder if some of us just don’t understand the big no no’s of Facebook. Sure, you may be one of the lovebirds whom feel as if your relationship is too tough to break, but just how sure about that are you? Honestly, I’m pretty sure those who broke up in my news feed thought the same thing in their happier days. So how can your relationship survive Facebook? I’ll tell you how.

1. Don’t blast your significant other in your status. Status blasting has to be one of the surest ways to destroy your relationship. If your beau has done something that you really don’t like, your best bet is to tell him about it and not your friends list. There is nothing worst than telling the world you’re mad at your partner before you even sit down and tell him you’re angry.

I mean who really wants to log on to facebook and see that that their spouse or partner is pissed off at them and they thought everything was cool? And to top it off, they see a whole bunch of your little ignorant friends commenting on something that they really know nothing about. You see Facebook is like real life to the third degree. Only on Facebook can all your enemies, loved ones, haters, and strangers have the same access to your life. And thanks to the book, your personal life is now on display.

The next time there’s trouble in paradise, I encourage you to pick up the phone before you type in that “What’s on your mind?” box.

And yes, subliminal statuses do count. You’re not fooling anyone either. So just stop it.

2. Beware of the Facebook Wall Stalkers. Now we all know there are some evil people in this world just waiting to put that final nail in the coffin in your relationship. These people lurk around on your profile page, and they already know that you are in a committed relationship. And although they know you’re taken, they keep getting an itch to sign your wall and say some things that you know your partner won’t like too much.

The best way to handle these people is to tell your partner about them before it even gets out of hand. Keep the communication open, and be sure to delete that crazy person as soon as possible.

Some people just like to cause drama and they won’t be happy until you are miserable. And that’s not friendly behavior, so why keep them on your friends list?

3. Don’t treat notes like your diary entries. I know we all have to get things off our chests sometimes, but do you really have to write that long note and tag everybody to it? I know you’re upset, but please just pick up the phone and tell your partner about it.

Notes are just as dangerous as status blasting.

4. Keep your private life PRIVATE. We don’t need to know every little detail of your relationship. I have a lot of Facebook friends, but the most annoying ones are the people who have to broadcast every little thing they do on their statuses. They have to tell you everyday that they have a boyfriend or boo, and they have no shame tagging that poor man into every status update either. And it gets worse when they get into a relationship. They just have to make sure you know that they are not single. And if that relationship ends, everyone on Facebook has to know about it. Please don’t be one of these people.

Does everyone need to know your relationship status? No, they don’t. And honestly, the only time you should update your relationship status is if you get married. That change requires a change to your government name and it’s recognized in every state. If you are in a relationship, you’re still single. Your last name is the same since birth, and what you have may not last. And according to the law, you will remain single until you’re married.

And it’s tricky to tag someone in a relationship because when that relationship ends, it pops up in everyone’s news feed. You should be secure enough in yourself that it doesn’t bother you what other people think. if people think you’re not dating anyone, who cares? There are plenty of confident women who are happy in their relationships and they don’t care if Facebook doesn’t know about it. Marriage is permanent, dating isn’t. Only make profile changes for permanent things. That way, you won’t be that couple that broke up in my news feed.

I know some people won’t agree with this list, but this is how I manage to have fewer problems in my private life. If your relationship or marriage really means a lot to you, treat it that way. When you have problems, take them to your partner to work them out. Facebook is fun, but it shouldn’t ruin relationships, friendships, or marriages. And if more people adhered to this list, just maybe it wouldn’t