This is a slightly edited comment I made on a friend’s LJ about people who edit themselves on Facebook, so they won’t offend people. I felt it was a bit insightful, and stands alone as an interesting commentary.
I tend to tweet a lot regardless of the appropriateness of my comments. For me, that’s part of the fun: rarely are you going to really say anything that can truly offend in ~160 characters, and it will often be a good trigger for later reminding you of a particular state of mind or emotional outburst. And those who are in on whatever joke it is also get the joys of a good lulz.
However, more than once something I tweeted was taken out of context and offended someone. Example: I have a habit of tweeting “I’M POOPIN'” whenever somebody on Twitter (or maybe even in meatspace) overshares something. Most of my friends are familiar with the concept of a “Twitter-shitter” [somebody who tweets on the toilet about being on the toilet] and would never mistake me for one. But, many “Facebook friends” are people who don’t interact with me on a daily basis, and aren’t in on the joke. And one got offended (I only later found out some months later that they blocked all my friends posts for a period of months over the incident).
My response? I was actually offended myself. You would block me over a cheesy one-line post, and not have the nerve to tell me about it until months later? And not talk to me about it?
Since that time, I’ve decided I don’t give a load of Dingo’s Kidneys what people on Facebook think. If they’re truly my friends, they won’t be offended: they know that in real life I’m crass, uncouth, and anything but urbane. I belch in public and fart in elevators. Why would I be any different online?
“Facebook friend” is an oxymoron. You might have friends who are also on the ‘book, but someone you have only ever interacted with online can probably not be considered a friend in any practical sense, and that goes double for Facebook. Their usage of words such as “like” and “friend” is downright Orwellian. So yeah, if you’ve offended someone there, I doubt that you’ve caused any real harm. (Interestingly, Jared Loughner was on Myspace and had a YouTube channel, but was _not_ on Facebook.)
As for Twitter, it’s a bit like listening to one side of a telephone conversation. Depending on how clear the tweet is phrased, you may never understand what the person is talking about. except in the vaguest of ways.
Regarding the “Facebook Friend” thing, something I heard a while back that has stuck is that Facebook is full of people you went to school with, while Twitter is full of people you wished you went to school with. Facebook is full of people who you knew at one time, but who may or may not actually “know” you anymore. The BFF’s in which that last F is tarnished and faded. It’s a neverending class reunion full of now-strangers.