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The great thing about social media is that it gives us an opportunity to talk. Which, oddly enough, also happens to be the trouble with social media. Friends, let's talk about how a farm(ish) girl approaches social media etiquette. (Don't want to read all the words? This blog post is also a podcast—just press the triangle play button on the little black bar at the top of this post!) It's a big wide world out there with lots of things going on. Occasionally my social media newsfeeds blow up with a virtual fist fight that spreads like wildfire. It's at that point it's time to give some farmish advice about how to behave on social media. Farmgirl social media etiquette #1: If you wouldn't say it to someone at a fried chicken dinner, don't say it online: I haven't quite figured out why yet, but folks sometimes forget that the power of their words doesn't diminish because they are typed instead of spoken to someone's face. Social media has a sometimes magical (and sometimes downright stupid) way of making people braver than they would be if forced to say the same thing to a person in real life conversation. I like to just imagine that I'm sitting at a big chicken dinner with y'all, and I think it could be helpful if everyone used this imagery. If you wouldn't say it to someone who was sitting across from you at the table...maybe don't type it out on social media. M'kay? Farmgirl social media etiquette #2: Let's be honest—we really aren't okay with people disagreeing with our point of view: As a kid, I used to hear people say there are two things we don't discuss at the table: religion and politics. There's a reason for that—they are two topics that people have strong opinions on, and attach big parts of themselves to. Social media didn't catch on to that rule though; there's a current notion that it's everyone's right to discuss everything all the time, and social media provides the perfect platform to do so. I've talked to the animals in the barn about this and I've decided that as much as we'd like to say that it's fine and dandy for all of us to have differing opinions in the big land of (as the kids say now) 'Merica and beyond, I have to call bluff on a bug chunk of the population. If folks really were okay with people having differing opinions, they'd let whatever the current topic of argument is die down. Mary thinks this way, Susan thinks this way, Joel thinks this way. Great. I've got to go weed the garden and clean the pig barn. Let's move on. Farmgirl social media etiquette #3: Some people like fishing. Don't take the bait: I live in Minnesota, land of a bazillion lakes, and I know a thing or two about fishing. The fish that end up in trouble are the ones who take the bait. If we can get real for a second, some people on social media are baiting others into arguments. I know that post looks innocent (much like that Gulp bait I'm using to hook a fish), but it's deadly. Bite the bait and you'll get hooked into an argument. Sure, you're not going to end up as dinner on someone's plate (like my fish), but you will get angry, stressed out, say things you don't mean, and possibly ruin friendships. Seriously. Spit out the bait. Farmgirl social media etiquette #4: Farmish folk are humble. Stop assuming the post is for/about you: I understand there are people out there who do vague posts (see above point about "baiting") but sometimes you're just reading it wrong. People have asked me, "What do you think this post is about? Do you think she's talking about me? Do you think she's insinuating ____? Do you think he means _____?" He might. Or he might not. You could ask him (the person who wrote it) instead of me (the clueless one). Or you could realize that if it doesn't specifically mention you, it's actually not about you. I know. Mind blown. Farmgirl social media etiquette #5: Tone is important...and almost always gets screwed up.