My Social Media No-No's

I'm about due for a little rant session. Please don't mind me as I stick my nose in the air for a few moments and rant about some things I see happening (that shouldn't be) on various social media platforms.

1. Unrelated Commenting on Statuses / Photos / Links / Etc.
When one makes a particular post about something (usually on Facebook), I see many people making comments unrelated to the post like "OMG, i havent seen you in 4eva, how u been?" or "Do you remember where I left my keys?". Not only are these comments a distraction from the topic at hand, but the person making these comments is now forcing everyone else who has already commented to read what they are saying, via notifications. Please, be respectful of other users and save these types of comments for a wall post or private message.

Which leads me to my next point...
2. Don't Kill a Thread
This one is near and dear to my heart, since there are several people who I am very close to in the real world who LOVE to do this to me in the virtual world. I'm not funny very often, but when people actually catch on to what I'm saying and continue a fun thread, please don't be that guy. Don't be the person who kills the thread by saying "I don't get it" or "[insert unrelated comment in reference to rule #1 here]" or "actually, the rate at which a hamburger would hit the wall would be defined by the force it was thrown x the velocity of the burger x gravity." Whatever.

3. aLtErNaTiNg UpPeR / LoWeRcAsE lEtTeRs
We are not in 5th grade anymore, and this isn't MSN Messenger. Stop it.

ALSO, TYPING IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS JUST MAKES IT SEEM LIKE ONE IS YELLING AT EVERYONE ALL THE TIME, AND THEY ARE KILLING THE ACTUAL INTENT OF EMPHASIS FOR EVERYONE ELSE. IF YOU CAN'T SEE VERY WELL, CHANGE THE DEFAULT TEXT SIZE IN YOUR BROWSER.

4. Grammar Policing
I am a proud Grammar Nazi, but there's a time and a place. Don't ruin someone's fun and/or interesting post just to inform them they spelled something wrong, or used the wrong form of "there/their/they're." DON'T post a grammatical correction when that's the only thing you have to say. At the very most, privately message them if it bothers you so badly, but don't make both you and the writer look bad.

5. Leave Hashtags Where They Belong
This is one that I've heard from a couple social media gurus, but it's not necessarily one I care about a whole lot. Regardless, the concept of hashtags are essentially a Twitter invention used to create a metadata tag, and is part of what makes Twitter unique. On the other hand, because cross-posting has become so simple 1) since all platforms have become connected and 2) with the use of applications like Hootsuite, it's hard not to end up with hashtags here and there across mediums. Just bear in mind that the use of hashtags is intended for sites like Twitter and Instagram, and the use of them elsewhere may annoy some other users (including text messages. Just. GAHHHHH).

6. Don't Respond Poorly to Negative Feedback
Unfortunately, it happens. There's always someone who doesn't like anything, and if you're going to be posting about a heated topic, brace yourself for some angry slapback. Take the high road by ignoring the comment or responding intelligently; a simple "F U" doesn't support your case, and can make you look like a prick. On a related note, post positively and intelligently on others' posts that differ from your own opinion, and ignore the opinionated (often political) posts that are written out of sheer anger.

And finally, most importantly...
7. If You Don't Want Something to Exist on the Internet, Don't Post it in the First Place!
The ease of sharing photos on nearly every social media platform has made it really easy for people (mostly high school and college students) to post some really stupid stuff. Once something is on the Internet, it's there for good - no matter how quickly it is taken down (just ask Justin Bieber about this - he is a professional at "oops! Shouldna posted that!" posting). For the love of everything that is holy, DON'T post incriminating pictures of yourself passed out in your friends' front yard last Saturday night, or rudely vent about a specific person / business in a way you may come to regret later (words can come back to haunt you!).

So in a nutshell, those are a few of the biggest things I see that annoy me on social media platforms. What about you - what are some things you see, but wish you didn't have to?

Formulas for Success: Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis

I've been listening to this song non-stop for a few days. And I hate it.

This track is ridiculous. It's not even catchy.

Ok I lied, it is catchy. But I won't admit it.

There are a few things I can think of off the bat that have put this stupid nonsense where it is.

1. Catchy Loop
Most kids in the target demographic of this tune don't even know what a saxophone is, so hearing the same catchy sax loop over and over again is like discovering gold. I'm not sure if the sax loop is real or midi (laptop speakers ≠ quality listening), but it's the piece that drives the song. Other than the chorus, there really is no driving bassline, and that's pretty cool.

2. Silly Video
Just like these guys, stupid videos make for virality on the internet, which makes for virality everywhere else. I've never heard of Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, or Wanz before, but I'd venture a guess that the music video was famous before the song was.
Note: "Virality" doesn't seem to be a word, but I'm making it one.

3. Explicit Lyrics
Macklemore and Wanz don't seem to care to use adjectives and adverbs other than the F-bomb, which is great fun for all the 13-year-olds who just learned the word exists.

4. Starting a Trend
"Thrifting" has always been a taboo concept, except for those of us who see the value in it, like Macklemore. Why pay $50 for a t-shirt you could find gently-used for $5? Suddenly, 30-year-old clothing doesn't seem so sketchy anymore.

Macklemore has made himself known overnight by embracing his fellow thrifters, and creating a whole new batch of them in the process.

Watch the video here (the lyrics are explicit):