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Does Facebook make it more or less acceptable to forget people's birthdays?

I've had members of my own family tell me they only remember when my birthday is because Facebook told them!
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dtvrivera
dtvrivera
Marked as Best! October 19, 2009 02:39 AM
The virtual birthday calendars with reminders on Facebook make it both easier to remember and easier to forget about your friends birthdays. Let me elaborate: Birthdays are easier to remember since you can request basically any of your friends and acquaintances on Facebook to add their b-days to your calendar to receive an alert when their special day comes up. You will likely be informed about birthdays of friends whose birthdates you were previously unaware of. At the same time, however, you may have so many friends on Facebook that you are simply unable to keep up with all the birthdays. Further, having the b-dates digitally memorized provides little incentive to make a personal effort to keep them in mind (the old-fashioned mind) and if they are not regularly checked you may be even more likely to forget a birthday by relying on your Facebook account to alert you. Also, a forgotten b-day may arouse grudgeful feelings, or at best a sense of wonder, in the friend if you neglected to send him/her a b-day message on Facebook even though their b-day was clearly marked in your calendar after you sent a b-day request.
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mereinolan
mereinolan
October 18, 2009 05:00 PM
Facebook with all of it's virtual birthday reminders and gifts/cards etc. should make it almost impossible to forget someone's birthday. It should still be acceptable to forget someone's birthday if you are offline, although still frowned upon. Having facebook remind of a birthday, it's no different than having the calendar on your computer remind you or having it set in your cell for a reminder. Just be happy that they have your birthday in their facebook.
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keepontryi...
keepontryi...
October 18, 2009 06:29 PM
http://www.freefoto.com/images/1007/03/1007_03_22---Happy-Birthday-Sign_web.jpg

Forgetting someone's birthday is no more or no less acceptable because there is (or is not) a FaceBook program to remind you (or fails to remind you).

It is proper etiquette to send a birthday card to someone early enough so that they receive it on or before their birthday.

It is not the end of the world if you forget, and sending a late card is better than not sending a card at all.

Here is a good guide to Greeting card Ettiqute:

---quote---
While signing and sending birthday greeting cards to people you know should be a simple task, there are still some basic etiquette you should follow. If you’re unsure of what the decorum is, these etiquette guidelines for birthday greeting cards will help make sure you don’t commit any social faux pas.

* Do always sign your name and write a brief note when sending birthday greeting cards to friends.
* Don’t sign your last name if the birthday card is going out to someone you know well.
* Do mail birthday greeting cards to the office if it is for a business associate.
* Don’t forget to use more discretion when considering an off-the-wall or humorous card for a boss or supervisor.
* Do send a belated birthday card rather than forgoing one completely just because you’re just a few days late.
* Don’t send a religious card unless you are sure it is appropriate for the birthday recipient’s beliefs.
---/quote---

http://birthday.lifetips.com/cat/61932/birthday-cards/index.html

OR.........you could just send this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztoSUhbNntQ&feature=related
Source(s):
http://birthday.lifetips.com/cat/61932/birthday-cards/index.html
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lenkendall
lenkendall
October 18, 2009 06:38 PM
For people who grew up with Facebook, it is much less acceptable to forget a birthday. That being said, over time, the home page has become much more cluttered and the section where Birthdays are posted is much less noticeable.
Source(s):
Personal Experience
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jkepler
jkepler
October 18, 2009 07:59 PM
If I was a member of your family, I probably wouldn't admit that I only remembered because of Facebook. That being said, Facebook makes it significantly less acceptable to forget a birthday because it reminds even those who don't care very much at all. On the other hand, it's always someone's birthday on Facebook, so it is a little more difficult to notice the birthdays of the people you really care about because of all the other birthday clutter.
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anmagi
anmagi
October 18, 2009 10:33 PM
No, I think it makes it easier to remember them. Birthdays are a little over-rated anyway, people should get over themselves if they expect people to remember their birthdays. Mom, dad, husbands, wives, siblings are one thing, but others shouldn't expect it.
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kohuether
kohuether
October 18, 2009 10:48 PM
Facebook makes me feel bad for missing people's birthdays! That tells me that it has become less acceptable because of it. Facebook allows people to build friendships all over the world and that includes people on your list who aren't necessarily friends with you in real life. However, since there are birthday alerts on the site, it seems like poor etiquette to at least not acknowledge them on their birthday.
Source(s):
Personal opinion
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