to say nothing in response to FB statuses detailing, hinting at or generally whingeing about health woes?

[ohbugrit]

Or would it be for the good of humankind if I were to crack one day and let rip with the string of uncharitable thoughts which are generated by such posts?

I wouldn't say that I dislike anyone on my FB, just that some of them might lack the maturity to cope with what I'm going through. And some of those people are wonderfully entertaining to watch, and some post lovely pictures of their kids. Fairweather friends are OK for when the weather is fair,,,

YADNBU - serial whingers get right up my nose too & I have a few on my friends list & they are all very active right now - so much so I've ducked out of facheache land for a while

One has even taken to PMing me her latest list of health woes for some reason she seems to think because I have health problems myself, that I will understand & will therefore sympathise - what I understand is she needs to stop whining & get on with it like the rest of us do

Theres at least 2 threads a day on MN moaning about fb. I just wondered if everyone just adds any old random.

I only have people I like on fb, so none of their status updates annoy me

Breastmilk - I'm sorry you're having a tough time.

My view might be helpful on your recent post:

I see facebook as a broadcast medium, and not necessarily two way. So, I use it to put information out there, but I am not necessarily expecting a response. Similarly I am often interested to see information but will not post something, but will refer to it when I see or speak to the person. In fact, I find FB most useful for interacting with friends I'm less close to because it allows me to know what's up with them and vice versa without having to engage in any detail. If a good friend posted something serious about her health, as you have, I would probably not respond on facebook, but I would take note and perhaps give the person a call or send them a personal email.

I hope that's what's happening here and that your friends really are just going to contact you personally.

[also, check how you did the settings. I've messed that up more than once! ]

Overall, I have no issue with general statements about people being unwell, or even that they're having toast for breakfast. Again. But I do hate status updates that seem to require everyone to then respond like the "Oh dear. That might have been a mistake" one someone I know put up a few weeks ago. Turned out to be something so trivial but that would actually have been quite funny if it had been put up properly in the first place.

I have been whinging of health woes this week, and last, on my FB.
I don't whinge about it in real life much tbh, so that is my release.
I don't expect anyone to comment though, not even sympathy.

And fwiw my knee really does hurt. The steroid injection made it hurt even more. But I want to try and work through it at work, so whinge on FB where it isn't "real."

If you don't like people saying such, can't you just ignore the status and move on.

Mine isn't life threatening or anything - just hurts a lot at the moment with recent flare up (arthritis). Online is just a good way for me not to whinge about it in rl.

Is it really so bad?

Soon I'll have nowhere/one to mention anything to!

I've hidden about 75 per cent of the people on my facebook feed - mostly people who do the vaguebook thing.

I would just delete the whole thing, but I tried once and a couple of family members complained that they missed my updates/photos (we live far away) so I reactivated.

Now I've added lots of lovely MN types so It's worth spending time on again :)

Hula - having a whine now & again, because you are having a tough week is IMO perfectly fine & I will post a supportive comment to people who do that on my own FB - I will do it myself on rare occasions, but its the ones who post nothing else but negative posts, several times a day, yet don't really have much to complain about in comparison to others who post just under or above them, yet say little - be it I'm ill, I'm lonely, I'm bored or whatever, it comes across as attention seeking & whiny -

weirdly the ones I have doing it, don't generally act that way in RL & I do like them, but I do think FB brings out the worst in some people, its a platform for attention - they are still my friends though - RL friends, not just random strangers I've picked up along the way & for the most part I do like them, I just don't like what I see them do on there, so I ignore - its either that or post what I really think, which in a few cases wouldn't go down too well

I suppose - just seems on MN today and recently there are so many people starting threads on what is and isn't ok for a FB status.

No writing about kids
No "boasting" - even things which aren't a boast but general news but other people might be able to take as a stealth boast (holidays, etc)
No heath woes
No pictures...

the list goeson.

Think just writing "Morning" each day might pass MNetter rules, maybe???? Note, I missed good off - you know, just incase it isn;t good for someone reading!

Hula Personally I don't have a problem with ANY of that list in moderation, its when one person posts nothing else & several times a day it becomes a PITA - entertaining & at times very telling, but it does get very boring & TBH, if I'm having a bad day myself & I'm seeing a friend with Cancer posting funny upbeat quips, followed by one whose DD died, posting lovely anecdotes & then a healthy friend moaning yet again that shes feels so ill & tired & bored & needs new friends etc - I have to step away from the keyboard

There's never going to be a clear or definitive set of rules for FB. But I think part of the beauty of FB is how differently people use it.

I enjoy the randomness of so much of the trivia.

This thread is hilarious :). Im sooo guilty with the picture things though, i think if u clicked through my albums quickly my life would flash b4 your eyes:o

don't do attention like status' though, the sort that want u too ask questions, wind me up a little! & make me cringe.
As for people posting about illnesses if someone announced terminal illness on my FB i would be very sympathetic and wouldnt judge.
But when people constantly write that they have ickle sniffle or the runs it gets old, Or like a girl on mine who always sais her son is ill, when infact he is teething :/

Can I update?

My status update has yielded three comments - one from friend with similarly scary health concerns, one from friend I've not seen for years but who is a kind caring soul and one asking 'what happened???' from a friend who I did tell but who has just got married and I thereby don't mind overlooking the memory lapse. And I've had texts from two friends - two of the best friends on earth.

Really, I could have predicted those who'd have been supportive, and I could have rung/texted any or all of them directly. Hmmm. For the purpose of reminding the lovely scatty just-got-married friend who already had a life full of her many kids and demanding job... was it worth putting my heart on my sleeve (argh, the metaphor hurts) on FB? TBH, probably not.

Actually I hate seeing 'ill' facebook statuses, so much in fact that if a friend does it regularly (and it is a minor complaint) I'll remove them.

I can't be arse with attention seeking harpies tbh. Prsonally we've had a lot of illness in our immediate family and we spend more time in hospital than most families. I find the checking in at hospitals and tagging of kids in hospital (for minor illnesses) really insulting and a real pathetic thing to do. I may seem cruel but when I'm sat at home or in hospital with genuinely ill DS or DH reading about people with 'illnesses' I just think get a fucking grip and get over yourself. Most of them wouldn't know a real illness if it smacked them upside the arse.