Facebook tip

[NewsTheMan]

I have seen countless people make this mistake on their Facebook profile information. In the “Interested in” information section, most people put “Men and Women”. This is a mistake. Unless you are bisexual (whatever that could mean…). That part of ones profile is not trying to ask you what kind of friends you’d like (i.e. do you want male and female friends). It’s asking what your “sexual orientation” is. I’ve only learned recently by correcting my family that many people (either non-english speakers or older adults) think the “Interested in” section is trying to ask you if you have any prejudice against making friends of a particular sex. Not so. So please - change it. You may not be particularly interested in changing it but for those who unwittingly stumble upon your profile they may think you are trying to say you are bisexual.

If, like me, you are not intending to use Facebook as a dating service or if you don’t want people to think you are looking, just leave it blank and it won’t show up on your profile. Since I am not looking for anybody I leave both my “relationship status” blank and my “interested in” blank.

Just a friendly reminder

 

[lauraabarlow]

Thanks for the tip. My interests is blank being that I am a divorced single mom not interested in another relationship. I am content not having that complication in my life.

 

[Joe_5859]

Thank you for that public service announcement.

Personally, I don’t understand the need to answer that one at all. Maybe some people just feel like they need to answer every question posed.

 

[NewsTheMan]

Thank you for that public service announcement.

Personally, I don’t understand the need to fill answer that one at all. Maybe some people just feel like they need to answer every question posed.

No problem

I can understand it. Facebook is not a dating service per se but it opens doors. In our oversexualized culture - where homosexuality is promoted and seen as a good thing - it can no longer be assumed that most are looking for someone of the opposite sex.

 

[Joe_5859]

No problem

I can understand it. Facebook is not a dating service per se but it opens doors. In our oversexualized culture - where homosexuality is promoted and seen as a good thing - it can no longer be assumed that most are looking for someone of the opposite sex.

True. Although, ironically, of all my old highschool/college friends who I have learned are gay via Facebook, I think most of them did not answer that question. For most of them, I found out because they are dating “insert guy’s name here”.

 

[lizaanne]

Wow - people actually do that?!! I never considered the question as meaning anything BUT sexual orientation. Go figure - I guess you never know how folks are going to interpret things.

~Liza

 

[PatriceA]

Wow - people actually do that?!! I never considered the question as meaning anything BUT sexual orientation. Go figure - I guess you never know how folks are going to interpret things.

~Liza

Same here. I always presumed the people that answered that question were single and looking for a relationship/dating preference.

 

[NewsTheMan]

Wow - people actually do that?!! I never considered the question as meaning anything BUT sexual orientation. Go figure - I guess you never know how folks are going to interpret things.

~Liza

I know right? Unfortunately, I see it more and more. Common among non-native-English speakers with English profiles and older people. It’s especially embarrassing when family members have it! D’oh!

 

[Luvz2travel]

I don’t put my relationship status or preferences on facebook. I have a hard time understanding why people do because it’s personal. I see all this drama with friends and gossip about who’s seeing or dating who and what status someone is in I prefer to keep that info off facebook for my own sanity…lol

 

[Joe_5859]

I don’t put my relationship status or preferences on facebook. I have a hard time understanding why people do because it’s personal. I see all this drama with friends and gossip about who’s seeing or dating who and what status someone is in I prefer to keep that info off facebook for my own sanity…lol

Indeed. I am glad Facebook wasn’t around back in my dating years. Not only would one get dumped, but also unfriended.

It always makes me cringe a bit when someone’s change in relationship status comes up in my news feed with a bunch of people commenting with “there, there” type posts. That is definitely not what I would want to have happen when going through a breakup.

 

[Dandelion_Wine]

In the “Interested in” information section, most people put “Men and Women”. This is a mistake. … It’s asking what your “sexual orientation” is.

Forgive me for being dunce, but that makes no sense. If an option is “Men and Women”, then how can my sexual orientation be “Men and Women”? Wouldn’t sexual orientation options be something like “straight”, “gay”, “bi-sexual”?

 

[NewsTheMan]

Forgive me for being dunce, but that makes no sense. If an option is “Men and Women”, then how can my sexual orientation be “Men and Women”? Wouldn’t sexual orientation options be something like “straight”, “gay”, “bi-sexual”?

Interested in - as in, what sex are you interested in pursuing relationships with? Yes, it’s a roundabout way of asking the question, but perhaps it’s more politically correct, I don’t know.

The interpretation that it’s only about friends makes less sense. So… you’re only interested in making friends that are male? I doubt the creators would support such ‘sexism’ nor would anybody really advertise such a thing even if it were true that they only want friends of a certain sex.

It’s about orientation. Trust me

 

[phillipa31]

There really should be a third option, “Me”. Because I know a lot of people on FB who are more interested in themselves than anybody else

 

[nishabloom]

I don’t need it but thanks…

 

[ToeInTheWater]

Topics like these remind me of why I don’t use Facebook…

…as well as a remark I overheard once, “Yeah, he’s definitely getting a divorce, he’s changed his Facebook profile to ‘single’!”