It’s ironic that I am posting this on Facebook, considering what I’m about to say.

Like many people, I check Facebook periodically – although less often nowadays – to find out what my “friends” are up to. But there are certain kinds of posts I’d really rather not see:

“Post this if you love your daughter/son/cat/dog/sister/brother/niece/nephew/best friend, etc. I love many people and they know who they are. They don’t need me to repost a gratuitous and impersonal message to be reminded of my feelings and neither does anyone else.

“X did this and you won’t believe what happened next.” Guess what? I believe it and it’s not even that interesting most of the time.

Posts with sloppy grammatical errors. We all make mistakes and I can forgive the occasional typo. But if you post something along the lines of “Your the best friend I could of imagined,” shame on you. Read a book, consult a dictionary, and reread your posts.

Requests to donate to a cause. I contribute to all kinds of causes and might contribute to yours too, but not if you’re too lazy to ask me personally. If you’re not willing to put in a tiny bit of effort, how can you expect other people to do likewise? Pick up the phone, send me a private e-mail, or write a note and mail it to me. I would be hard pressed to turn you down.

Posts of puppies and babies doing adorable things. Just kidding! Who can resist a puppy?