# Facebook Birthday Greetings **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083 "2012-06-13T23:51:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2012, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/1 "2012-06-13T23:51:40Z")
When you get a birthday greeting on your wall in Facebook, how to you respond? (poll to come). ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/2 "2012-06-14T00:08:22Z")
I’m lazy. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/3 "2012-06-14T00:10:18Z")
I reply to everyone because it’s not usually that many people. ---
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/4 "2012-06-14T00:50:36Z")
I have very few friends, and I don’t post my birthday, so only a couple people know. I thank each one individually. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/5 "2012-06-14T00:56:37Z")
I like them all, which is what I voted, but I also do a “thank you” at the end of the day. I’d say about 80% of my friends do it this way. 10% reply to all and 10% don’t say/do anything (most likely they just don’t go on FB much). ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/6 "2012-06-14T01:16:05Z")
I do everything I can to avoid them; I don’t really celebrate my birthday, and dislike them clogging up my wall/timeline. I take down my birthdate from my profile before my birthday, and many of my friends know I don’t want a birthday message. Regardless I always get a few, so I ‘like’ them to be polite. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/7 "2012-06-14T01:20:52Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I like them all, which is what I voted, but I also do a “thank you” at the end of the day. I’d say about 80% of my friends do it this way. 10% reply to all and 10% don’t say/do anything (most likely they just don’t go on FB much). This. It wasnt an option. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/8 "2012-06-14T01:21:27Z")
I usually only get about 40 or so, so I write a quick thank you. I often use it as a conversational gambit to find out what’s been going on, especially if it’s someone I’ve fallen out of contact with. If you’re worried, it’s completely ok to ignore the wall posts and make a blanket thank you at the end of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/9 "2012-06-14T06:39:22Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I like them all, which is what I voted, but I also do a “thank you” at the end of the day. I’d say about 80% of my friends do it this way. 10% reply to all and 10% don’t say/do anything (most likely they just don’t go on FB much). I do this, too. It feels right. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/10 "2012-06-14T07:21:14Z")
I reply with “Thank you,” but I write a personal reply for each one. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/11 "2012-06-14T10:26:40Z")
I don’t have my birthday details on Facebook, so only people who know when it is post, i.e., nobody. Anybody who knows me well enough to know my birthday will make themselves known in non-Facebook ways. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/12 "2012-06-14T10:39:07Z")
I just do the one-time “Thanks!” message. I _would_ go to the trouble of liking everyone’s comments, but with my luck I’ll somehow miss my aunt’s lovely message and she’ll wonder why I liked everyone else’s and ignored her, and there will be chaos. I’m not on Facebook all day long, and there’s a good chance I’ll miss a message or two. It’s much easier to just say thanks at the end of the day, and I doubt anyone really cares. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/13 "2012-06-14T12:01:57Z")
While the last three choices reflected my view, I voted with the “I don’t use Facebook” since I have better things to do. And you kids get off my lawn…😃 ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/14 "2012-06-14T13:03:17Z")
I don’t have my birthday made public in an effort to avoid it (generally I’m not a fan of my birthday) but I still get people who remember every year and then when others see it they all have to join in. So then I feel obligated to do the thank-you thing. Ugh. I also hate feeling like I have to wish absolutely everyone on my friends list a happy birthday on their timeline. I usually only do if it’s someone I’m close to. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/15 "2012-06-14T13:51:55Z")
I wish people a happy birthday if I know them personally and have met face-to-face. I usually like each happy birthday post, reply to relatives, and write a general thank you at the end of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/16 "2012-06-14T14:22:11Z")
If they just say “Happy Birthday!” I’ll just say “Thanks!” but if they wrote something more, I’ll try to personalize my reply a bit more. Otherwise, it gets tedious to copy and paste “Thanks!” a dozen times. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/17 "2012-06-14T14:31:34Z")
I like AND write a response to each message. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/18 "2012-06-14T15:11:19Z")
I don’t use Facebook to a significant degree. I think I’ve gotten one “Happy Birthday” Facebook post, ever, and I think I replied with a comment. ---
**Author:** ![minionkat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@minionkat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minionkat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/19 "2012-06-14T16:37:00Z")
How timely. Today is my birthday and I just clicked “like” on the ones that are there so far. I did some before work and will do the rest tonight. I will write a blanket thank you to everyone this evening. Anyone who wrote more than “Happy Birthday” or something funny or personal gets a comment on their greeting as well. I like my birthday, but try not to make a big deal out of it. I appreciate that people took the time to wish me well. I always wish others a happy birthday on Facebook. I think it’s nice. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-birthday-greetings/625083/20 "2012-06-14T16:56:52Z")
I write a personal reply to each. I’m very grateful for Facebook, which keeps me in touch with people better than I ever did on my own.