We all have those Facebook friends who seem to make a living posting pictures and video clips of their kids.
How cute is little Johnny eating a banana?
Here’s Johnny at the playground going down the slide!
Oh, poor Johnny is upset because mommy won’t give him another cookie.
We get it, your kid is cute. But truth is, no one is really interested.
Useless kid information is one of the many reasons I quit Facebook over a year ago. Of course I care about my friends’ kids and want to see pictures of them, but unbelievable inventions like email and SMS help me access all the updates I want.
Whether you’re the offender in this case (i.e., parent oversharer) or the casual News Feed browser bombarded with napping pictures, these tips will make your social media experiences more pleasurable.
1. For Oversharers
Less Is More
Do you post one video per day, maybe two? Are your pictures getting an errant comment or like here and there, even when you know your friends are online? Take the hint that you’re overposting â€" people are scrolling past your updates, not interacting with them.
Quality, Not Quantity
People are much more receptive to photos of your kids' milestones than to snapshots of their daily minutiae. First birthday, first steps, first words: all good. First time eating an animal cracker: not so much.
Have Some Respect
I have seen posts of kids in the bathtub, using the potty, getting changed and running wild in their birthday suits. Those really aren’t necessary. You wouldn’t want someone to post pictures of you doing the same, so why do it to your kids?
Keep It Clean
Speaking of potty shots, graphic details of potty training, diaper blowouts or puke-fests are best left to the pediatrician and close family (if they’re even interested). People really don’t need to see documentation of your ruined shirt, because there’s “vomit ALL over it.â€
Don’t Complain About Your Kids
We all have those “Calgon, take me away†moments as parents, but to constantly berate your kids online and complain about what “freakin’ pains in the ass†they are (yes, I have seen this status update) is just poor taste.
Take It Outside
Outside Facebook, that is. If after reading these tips, you still have a penchant for hourly/daily posts of your kids, take it to a site or app created for this exact purpose. A website like FamilyLeaf or a mobile app such as Notabli lets you create private social networks so you can share, share, share as much as your heart desires.
2. For Bombardees
Be Selective
Just because you are Facebook friends, don’t feel obligated to like or comment on every single baby picture. The first shot of the kid after its birth? Yes, of course. The 15th pic of the kid’s footprint? Leave it alone. Go with your gut. If you really want to comment on something, do.
Take With a Grain of Salt
Maybe some of your Facebook friends complain about their kids. But you also know a few whose kids get straight As, speak fluent Thai and enjoy live-in nannies. Don’t become jaded and depressed by others’ seemingly perfect lives.
Check Your Settings
You may only see updates from people with whom you recently interacted, which might explain the umpteenth baby photo in your feed. Go to your homepage and pull down the Options menu to make sure you’re seeing updates from “All Of Your Friends and Pages.†That may dilute the barrage of kid updates.
Cut and Replace
In drastic situations where babies are taking over your feed, try a Chrome extension like Unbaby.me to replace those baby pictures with ones of, say, cats, cars or ball-juggling seals.
Walk Away
When all else fails, simply take a break from Facebook and visit those babies in the real world, on your time.
Have you overshared on Facebook? Or have you witnessed a perpetual oversharer? Share your tips below.
Image via iStockphoto, Blend_Images
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