With Halloween approaching, there will be plenty of festivities going on and those involved will want to document. Facebook will begin to host numerous photos of costumes and parties along with status updates. Party-goers will have the opportunity to meet new people who will become potential friend requests. At this time, it’s appropriate to be reminded of some general rules all Facebook users should know.

Be cautious with the photos you’re posting.

This is one of those rules we hear often, but it’s true. Don’t post pictures of illegal activities. Contrary to what you might think, it does not make you look cool or seem like a badass.

Don’t contradict an excuse with a status.

What do I mean by this? I mean don’t call off work or blow off a prior commitment because you’re “sick,” then post a status saying you’re out and about. It’s very possible that it will get back to your boss or the people you blew off.

Friend requests CAN be denied.

Don’t be afraid to deny a friend request from someone you don’t know. Having 5,000 friends doesn’t mean anything if you don’t know them.

Hold off on the bitching.

Don’t post complaints about other people posting complaints. That’s stupid.

Be careful tagging friends in photos.

If the photo could be misconstrued in any way as inappropriate, you might want to ask that friend before you tag them, and it shows up on their profile.

There is such a thing as over-updating.

Your friends might be your “friends” on Facebook, but it’s obnoxious when you have one person blowing up your newsfeed.

Easy with the game requests.

Just because you get on Facebook to water your crops or hatch a chicken on Farmville doesn’t mean you need to send all of your friends requests to join in. Also, if they deny the request the first time, don’t keep sending it.

Respect Facebook chat.

Maybe you think people have time to chat since they’re on Facebook, but it’s possible they just got on to check out the latest updates, make their own updates and get offline. Don’t be offended if a friend doesn’t chat back.

Adjust your privacy settings.

If you don’t want creeps checking out your profile, set your privacy so you know exactly what is available for everyone to view.

Don’t make arguments public.

Please don’t do this. Fighting with a friend via comments on his or her wall is inappropriate. Your other friends will find you very immature.

Contact Karen Holcomb at [email protected].