Finally understand the Facebook no-no's

Nurses Relations

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I've been having a lot of problems with a co-worker lately, and when she requested to be my FB friend, I thought about it long and hard before I accepted. I'm a nice person, and I give people the benefit of the doubt the majority of the time. She had been a lil nicer to me, so I thought this might be her way of mending bridges.

Wrong.

I have a nasty cold. One of those ones that settles into your chest and hangs on for days. Two days ago, I slept all day, then attempted to keep my dinner plans I had made a week or so ago. I would've canceled but its for a younger girl that I mentor. I went to dinner, and I was miserable. Could barely breathe, and I was exhausted when I arrived home. Up until that point, I had been feeling ok and I was going to try working, but once I got home, I knew I couldn't manage a 10 hour shift. I called in. I posted a status about needing lots of breathing tx's and sleep, and I thanked the young girl for putting up with my miserably sick self while at dinner.

I received a call from my nursing supervisor the next morning. Basically, my co-worker knew I called out, and she saw this status. This status had nothing to do with work, and in my opinion, isn't even incriminating. She "misread" it and told my supervisor that I went out to dinner after I had called in. I had to explain to my supervisor that I had attempted to go out to dinner before I called in, but was so sick I left early. She was still angry and told me that "it didn't look good" and asked why I even went out to dinner. So, I explained that the plans had been made for a week, and it was with a younger girl I mentor. Its been a rough week between me getting sick and my gramma being in the hospital. I was just trying to fit promised time in with the girl. That seemed to shut her up a bit.

After that, I immediately deleted the co-worker. I never post anything about work, or closely related to work on my FB as I know what can happen. I have learned my lesson. Work and FB do NOT mix.

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
i have a friend who feels compelled to update her status on facebook every few hours with such scintillating details of her life as this: "having chicken salad for lunch. yum!" or "just one more bathroom to clean, and then i can take a nap!" or "rickybaby, the love of my life is home from work early tonight. ta ta!" followed by "we had such a great time in the bedroom!" none of this stuff is earth shattering or even all that interesting. i finally "unfreinded" her because the rare times when i check my facebook account (just got it to keep track of what the child was doing on-line and kept it for the occasional update from far-flung friends and relatives) i had to wade through pages and pages of that drivel to get to anything interesting such as: "my daughter had her baby at 11 this morning. it's a girl!!!! mom and baby are both doing fine!" or "i'm planning to be on your coast next month . . . can you meet me for a few hours of chatting and a few glasses of wine?"

i just hide people like that.

Specializes in Orthopaedic Nursing; Geriatrics.
I just hide people like that.

How do you hide? That would be helpful! I have a former student who actually wrote "not feeling good today. I started my monthly". I almost died laughing! Who cares?! And what 19 year old calls it a monthly??

Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.
How do you hide? That would be helpful! I have a former student who actually wrote "not feeling good today. I started my monthly". I almost died laughing! Who cares?! And what 19 year old calls it a monthly??

ewww God, TMI!! lol

Go hover over the upper right hand corner of the post of questionable taste. There is an X there. It asks you if you want to hide the person of questionable taste. If you want to see their stuff again you can just go directly to their profile, or you can unhide them in your privacy settings (somewhere.) I had to hide an acquaintance who posted about 4 times a day about the minutiae of her pregnancy. That stuff is for family members, not me!

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
ewww god, tmi!! lol

go hover over the upper right hand corner of the post of questionable taste. there is an x there. it asks you if you want to hide the person of questionable taste. if you want to see their stuff again you can just go directly to their profile, or you can unhide them in your privacy settings (somewhere.) i had to hide an acquaintance who posted about 4 times a day about the minutiae of her pregnancy. that stuff is for family members, not me!

that's a great idea. thanks.

I suspect Facebook opinions is part of a generation gap.

Generally my younger facebook friends have lots(hundreds) of friends, post a lot more and are way more open about their personal life.

I have used the "Hide" function on those people who use facebook as an audience for their own one-woman reality show.

Specializes in private duty/home health, med/surg.

Anyone in the camp of "If you're too sick to go to work, why are you posting on Facebook" is absolutely ridiculous.

You are insinuating that a nurse only has the right to call in sick if she/he is sooo deathly ill that even poking a few buttons on a keyboard is beyond them.

Also, you must have never heard of "distraction." We have wi-fi at work. The patients who have a laptop or smartphone are distracted, and feel their illness/aches/pains/nausea etc. far less. The same with any patient that has visitors, books, a great TV show, puzzles, etc. If you are lying in bed doing nothing, you feel worse because there is nothing to distract you from your illness.

Apparently nurses are supposed to be in a different category and aren't allowed to do anything but lay around while sick. :rolleyes:

Specializes in geriatrics.

Never mind hiding. I just "unfriend" people who post questionable things, or become a headache. Who needs that? I only ever have about 20 friends anyway.

I suspect Facebook opinions is part of a generation gap.

Generally my younger facebook friends have lots(hundreds) of friends, post a lot more and are way more open about their personal life.

I have used the "Hide" function on those people who use facebook as an audience for their own one-woman reality show.

I'm not sure where the FB generation gap would be. I'm in my 40's and have 500+ FB friends.....most who are my age or older.

Oh, if there's a pattern of me feeling the need to hide a friend's post....I speak with them and unfriend them on FB (not in real life of course).

Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
How do you hide? That would be helpful! I have a former student who actually wrote "not feeling good today. I started my monthly". I almost died laughing! Who cares?! And what 19 year old calls it a monthly??

I didn't think anyone called it that anymore. That's so old-fashioned and clunky.

Specializes in Pediatrics.
I suspect Facebook opinions is part of a generation gap.

Generally my younger facebook friends have lots(hundreds) of friends, post a lot more and are way more open about their personal life.

I have used the "Hide" function on those people who use facebook as an audience for their own one-woman reality show.

I have many friends who are older than me that use it way more than I do (I am approaching late 30's... Sigh). Now that I have an iPhone, I find myself using it much more, and for no good reason (other than to "play"). Once my semester begins I know my usage will decrease (as it will here as well :( )

You are so right ! I have accepted only one co-worker on my facebook and I never talk about work on it! NEVERRRRRRR! Other co-workers have asked my to add them to my facebook but I refused and explained to them that " only family and friends are on my facebook. Period."

Specializes in Orthopaedic Nursing; Geriatrics.
I didn't think anyone called it that anymore. That's so old-fashioned and clunky.

My mother is 89 and I've never heard her call it that!

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