Don’t lie.  If you have a Facebook page, you’ve done it.  Probably several times.  Maybe even today.  “Facebook stalking” (not to be confused with real stalking) is an important social issue brought forth by the privacy issues which accompany the popular social networking site facebook.com.  Just this morning, during a rather boring class, I watched the computer screen of a boy I’ve never met for over 10 minutes as he scrolled through pictures of me on Facebook and read through my recent wall posts.  It was terribly creepy and I do not think he knew I was sitting behind him.  Either way, Facebook stalking is something that all of us both do and have had done to us.  The next time you inevitably decide to Facebook stalk somebody, be sure to follow these 5 practical guidelines that will civilize the process and make it less creepy for all parties involved.

1. Before Facebook stalking someone, make sure they’re not behind you.  I can’t think of a more uncomfortable situation than discovering somebody is watching you while you Facebook stalk them.
2. Never poke anyone.  It’s annoying and classless.
3. Remember to close your browser when Facebook stalking is complete.  Failure to destroy the evidence could lead to future complications.
4. Abide by the 20% rule.  In other words, if someone has 100 pictures tagged of them, try not to look through more than 20 in one day.  Avoiding extreme quantities will enhance the Facebook stalking experience.
5. General rule of thumb: if you haven’t had a face-to-face conversation longer than 3 minutes with someone, you shouldn’t ever spend more than 1 minute on their Facebook page.  You shouldn’t know what somebody’s favorite movies are before they know your last name.

Hopefully these tips will prove useful to you in future Facebook stalking situations.  Happy stalking!