Birthdays on Facebook

Life is a series of choices, and one dilemma we have all faced, is what to do when we get a notification on Facebook that it’s the birthday of a ‘Friend.’ On the surface it may appear that it’s simple to just post a birthday greeting, but it’s actually very complex. Just like with saying, ‘I do,’ a lot of thought and consideration goes in to the pronouncement of two words…Happy Birthday.

The first decision is whether or not you want to acknowledge the person’s birthday. Facebook makes the excuse of, ‘Oh I forgot,’ almost impossible to use, as it sends constant reminders of whose birthday it is. Yes, it sounds cruel, but let’s be honest, there are ‘Friends,’ who we have been unwilling to exert the effort for to post ‘Happy Birthday.’ Am I right? Maybe it’s because they have sent about a dozen too many game requests or because they didn’t wish us a Happy Birthday. We do keep track, just like with Christmas cards, a sent to and received from list is made.

The next challenge is how much or how little to say, sometimes just ‘Happy Birthday’ doesn’t seem like enough. It’s like saying, “Hi, how are you?” You don’t really care, but it just comes out naturally. A little more in the message adds a personal touch, even if it’s the standard, ‘have a great day,’ or some variation of that. Also, do you give those closest to you, the exact same greeting as those you give the ‘Friends’ that are simply number boosters?

Personally, no matter the substance of the birthday greeting, I’m thankful for every single one I receive. It’s always nice to hear from those I expect to, and especially those who surprise me. The ‘Friends’ that I have little interaction with either on-line or in real life, but chose to acknowledge my birthday is gratifying. I applaud those who has never even had a status ‘liked’ by me, but wished me a ‘Happy Birthday.'

I also enjoy seeing the different types of birthday posts, not only to me, but to everyone. It never fails, there are always people who extends their wishes in a comment on someone else’s post. For example, Aunt Sue posts a ‘Happy Birthday’ to Fred, and then Aunt Ruth adds her birthday wishes in a comment. There’s really nothing wrong with that, it just says to me, “I don’t know how to post on your wall.” It’s not that hard. Then there’s those who are a few days or a week or two late, who seemingly have no idea.

It’s my goal to get my birthday greetings sent before the obligatory ‘thank you for the wishes’ post made by the celebrant. At that point, any wishes thereafter seem to be a little self- serving, especially those in the comments. At least care enough to make your own post and not admit that you somehow missed all the signs that it was their birthday, but want to be acknowledged for recognizing it.

Yes, birthdays were much simpler when the only dilemma used to be whether to get someone a funny or a serious birthday card.