Facebook: To greet or not to greet?

[Gryffindorian]

That is the question that often puzzles my will when my event notice tells me one of my Facebook contacts has a birthday.

Generally, most of my FB contacts are relatives, friends, co-workers, former classmates, and people I've met in real life. Some of the people, however, are people I haven't heard from or seen in many years, if not decades. In some cases, I don't know them too well. So when they celebrate a birthday, I feel iffy about wishing them a happy birthday ... To me, the polite thing to do would be to say "Happy Birthday" to the friends and family who are celebrating their birthday. For those whom I don't know too well, it just seems "awkward" to greet them.

Have you ever had the same feeling about your FB contacts? What say you?

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I'll post "Happy birthday" to anyone that I'm friends with. But then, I don't have 1000+ friends like some people.

I think birthday wishes are fine even if it's only a casual acquaintance. I mean, it's a birthday, not a sexual encounter.

 

[Kestra]

Forget about the Facebook factor. Would you wish them Happy Birthday otherwise, providing you remembered it was their birthday? Then do it. Otherwise don't bother. Treat Facebook as a good system for reminding you when someone's birthday is, but nothing more.

 

[Kemaiku]

I don't have a huge number of people on there so when someones birthday comes up I leave them a message on their wall.

 

[Admiral2]

If you ever considered them good friends at one point then it doesn't matter how long it has been, Everybody deserves a "Happy Birthday" wish on his or her birthday, no matter how far removed the wisher is from their daily lives.

 

[wissaboo]

I would say happy birthday to a total stranger if I knew it was thier birthday so why not? it only takes a second.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I'll post "Happy birthday" to anyone that I'm friends with. But then, I don't have 1000+ friends like some people.

I think birthday wishes are fine even if it's only a casual acquaintance. I mean, it's a birthday, not a sexual encounter.

If I'm so disinterested in you that I can't be bothered saying, "Happy Birthday", you're not on my friends list in the first place.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

Am I? It's a simple question of etiquette. In any case, I went ahead and wished the person a happy birthday. I guess it's just like saying "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays" to strangers. Some people may not even celebrate the holidays, but it's usually the thought that counts. And if they get offended, well, they probably live in a cave.

 

[Spot's Meow]

To avoid offending someone (and because I don't post much on Facebook anyway) I don't wish anyone a happy birthday on Facebook, but I also don't expect it back, especially since I took my birth date off my profile. I don't need people I barely know anymore but only added so they wouldn't feel dejected writing about my birthday on my wall as if we're still best buddies. The people I actually care about will tell me in person. It was actually funny after I took my birthday off, because the people I saw in person didn't feel the need to write about it there, and the only other person who really remembered was my grandma. Of course, after she wrote something then 5 other people immediately wrote something, probably thinking, "oh shit, I forgot about that." It was my sick way of celebrating my birthday, to watch people squirm about Facebook etiquette.

 

[Mr. B]

I'm only "friends" with 130 people and I only send birthday messages to people I actually care about. When my birthday was posted there (it's not anymore), it seemed other people follow a similar mantra.

 

[Gryffindorian]

How interesting. I did that recently (removed my birthday) and thus didn't get as many greetings as I did in the past when my birthday came up. Those who remembered were mostly friends and family whom I usually greet anyway. There were a few who copied others just for the heck of it. But I went ahead and thanked the ones who did say happy birthday to me.

Personally, I couldn't care less if others greeted me or not, but it's the others I get conscious of greeting.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I do it to people I would see in person and wish them a happy birthday. If it's someone I hadn't talked to in awhile and we were only casual acquaintances, I won't. But it's a sliding scale. If I met you that year, I'll probably wish you a happy birthday, but I probably won't after.

I used to give long, thought-out messages, but people receive too many to properly appreciate them. That's why, if I'm a close friend, I'll try to actually meet up or, failing that, call or text.

 

[Captain_Nick]

Have you ever had the same feeling about your FB contacts? What say you?

No, never. People that I would bother wishing a happy birthday to get a phone call or unannounced visitation.

 

[Chaos Descending]

I don't and wouldn't have someone I'm "iffy" about saying "Happy Birthday" to on my friend's list.

So this issue is moot for me.

If you don't know whether you ought to say "Happy Birthday" or not to someone on your friend's list, I think a better question for you to ponder is "why is this person on my friend's list, and should they remain there?"

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I don't and wouldn't have someone I'm "iffy" about saying "Happy Birthday" to on my friend's list.

So this issue is moot for me.

If you don't know whether you ought to say "Happy Birthday" or not to someone on your friend's list, I think a better question for you to ponder is "why is this person on my friend's list, and should they remain there?"

Yeah, pretty much. I've never known anyone to be bothered about getting such a message, anyway. Just seems like common courtesy to me.

 

[RoJoHen]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

Am I? It's a simple question of etiquette.

I've never known anyone to get upset by someone wishing them a happy birthday. Do it or don't. Unless they're crazy, I guarantee they won't care either way.

 

[Gryffindorian]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

Am I? It's a simple question of etiquette.

I've never known anyone to get upset by someone wishing them a happy birthday. Do it or don't. Unless they're crazy, I guarantee they won't care either way.

Why won't they care either way? Most everyone I greet "happy birthday" is grateful, so they do care.

I've decided from now on not to acknowledge anyone's birthday unless he/she happens to be a family member, close friend, work buddy, etc. I also need to re-evaluate my list of FB contacts and maybe weed out the ones whom I hardly communicate with.

 

[milo bloom]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

This.

I also browse reddit, and FB seems to be one of their pet peeves (to the point where they even joke about their standard response to any problem being "quit Facebook, join a gym, switch to a credit union"), but really so many people do overthink it. I have only 126 friends, and some are rare posters. If they have their birthdate in their profile, I see it on my page and I leave them a message. Even the ones I met on FB through other friends are still glad to get the message.

I don't hide people I disagree with (cause a lot of them are family...); I've only ever deleted people who were spammers (like the chicks that try to get you go out for drinks and you wake up the next morning in a bathtub full of ice and your liver missing...). We get into tussles over politics and such, but that's what friends and family do.

I have to say, hating Facebook has become a kind of hipster thing to do, especially if you were an early user, but quit "when they let the unwashed masses join". Get over yourself, social networking is the future, learn to use it for your own advantage.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I think you're over-thinking Facebook.

This.

I also browse reddit, and FB seems to be one of their pet peeves (to the point where they even joke about their standard response to any problem being "quit Facebook, join a gym, switch to a credit union"), but really so many people do overthink it. I have only 126 friends, and some are rare posters. If they have their birthdate in their profile, I see it on my page and I leave them a message. Even the ones I met on FB through other friends are still glad to get the message.

I don't hide people I disagree with (cause a lot of them are family...); I've only ever deleted people who were spammers (like the chicks that try to get you go out for drinks and you wake up the next morning in a bathtub full of ice and your liver missing...). We get into tussles over politics and such, but that's what friends and family do.

I have to say, hating Facebook has become a kind of hipster thing to do, especially if you were an early user, but quit "when they let the unwashed masses join". Get over yourself, social networking is the future, learn to use it for your own advantage.

If the stock price is any indication, Facebook is not the future.