When are you really addicted to Facebook
Facebook is everywhere, and will continue to be everywhere as the film describing its genesis (The Social Network) is released worldwide over coming months. Here are 7 research-based tips for total Facebook domination. If you don't use it, these should at least help you pepper Facebook-related conversations with compelling observations from the psychological research.
1. Get between 100 and 300 friends
It doesn't look good to have too many Facebook friends, or too few. Go much above 300 or below 100 and social attractiveness starts to drop.
2. Court attractive friends
Make sure your friends, or the people who post on your 'wall', are good-looking.
3. Understand the 7 motivations
Connecting with old or distant friends, social surveillance (see what old friends are up to, but without talking to them), looking up people met offline, virtual people watching, status updating and content.
4. Don't let your partner use Facebook
This is probably because they are finding out things about their partner—who they know and where they've been—which, in the days before social networking, could have been kept quiet. So, don't let your partner see your Facebook profile. Unless you want them to be jealous. In which case, carry on.
5. Guard your privacy
Single people were particularly likely to disclose sensitive information about themselves.
6. Display your real self
Facebook profiles generally reflected their owner's actual rather than idealised selves. Facebook users may not personally know all their Facebook friends but they probably do like the movies, books and bands they claim to like.
7. Use Facebook to get a job
Facebook users had higher levels of 'social capital'. In other words: people are using their Facebook contacts to get jobs or other opportunities.
Read the full story here: Facebook: 7 Highly Effective Habits
