Facebook friends don’t let Facebook friends tag irresponsibly. It’s a simple netiquette concept.
Good: Tagging your friends in photos.
Bad: Tagging your friends in a photo when they are not in the photo.
Worse: Tagging your friends in degrading photos.
That last one is pretty much common sense; it’s not kind to post something unflattering. But I’d like to address the growing practice of tagging people in photos in which they don’t appear.
Here are two reasons behind this tacky trend:
Reason 1: “Hey! I want to make absolutely sure you to see this photo I posted that has nothing to do with you!”
The reality: When I’m tagged in a photo, I’m immediately alerted that someone has posted a photo of me. I do what most everyone else does: Stop whatever I’m doing and log into Facebook to find out what was posted.
The tagger might want to share a funny moment or call attention to a flyer for an event they want you to attend. But it defeats the purpose. Busy people get irritated. People who are protective of their profile image get especially annoyed.
It not only adds irrelevant junk to a profile, but comes across as immature and deceptive. The user can click “remove tag,” but not before feeling resentment at being pulled away from what they were doing for no good reason.
You want to share something? Send a personal message.
Reason 2: “Remember that thing we did? You’re not in this photo, but I want people to know you were involved.”
The reality: Your message could be misinterpreted. Was that person tagged because they took the photo? Were they there? Does the tagger wish the friend had been there? Are they just teasing?
It’s made worse if the tagging could imply something that isn’t true. (Was Joe at the beach yesterday? He told me he was sick!)
Another…