# If you use Facebook, how do you handle happy birthday wishes?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [January 30, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103 "2014-01-30T04:09:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/1 "2014-01-30T04:09:04Z")
Today was my birthday and I had quite a few “Happy birthday” posts on my wall. Some people “like” each post. Others reply to each post. Some people even do both. I don’t do either. At the end of the day, I update my status and say thanks for all of the birthday wishes. It seems impersonal, and I guess it is but I don’t like filling up all my friends’ newsfeeds with a bunch of “Nars Glinley liked this” items.
What’s your strategy?
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### Author:  [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/2 "2014-01-30T04:15:04Z")
I ignore generic “Happy birthday!” posts. If they are clever or make a specific reference, or are otherwise unique, I will probably comment but definitely “like”.
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### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/3 "2014-01-30T04:18:34Z")
I do what the OP does.
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### Author:  [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/4 "2014-01-30T04:31:12Z")
I “like” each post, then the next day I say a single “thanks for all the birthday wishes.” That way everyone’s effort has been acknowledged.
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### Author:  [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/5 "2014-01-30T04:44:40Z")
I treat them with disdain and ignore them. These fuckers are only telling me ‘Happy Birthday’ because their computer told them to.
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### Author:  [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/6 "2014-01-30T04:46:33Z")
> [@Becky2844](#):
>
> I “like” each post, then the next day I say a single “thanks for all the birthday wishes.” That way everyone’s effort has been acknowledged.
Same here
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### Author:  [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/7 "2014-01-30T04:49:28Z")
I removed my birth date from my profile. Now no one wishes me a happy birthday. Perfect.
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### Author:  [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/8 "2014-01-30T04:54:25Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#):
>
> I removed my birth date from my profile. Now no one wishes me a happy birthday. Perfect.
Same thing here, though I do get a couple of people who actually KNOW it’s my birthday who post well wishes. The more attentive Facebook friends notice and pile on. I thank people at the end of the day.
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### Author:  [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/9 "2014-01-30T05:18:52Z")
> [@Becky2844](#):
>
> I “like” each post, then the next day I say a single “thanks for all the birthday wishes.” That way everyone’s effort has been acknowledged.
This, with some exceptions. If it is an older relative, I make a point of thanking them. If the wish is particularly funny or specific, then I try to reply.
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### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/10 "2014-01-30T06:06:30Z")
Same. Like each one then a group “thanks” at the end of the day, maybe with some info on what I did to celebrate. Most of my friends do this too and it’s cool.
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### Author:  [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/11 "2014-01-30T08:16:43Z")
My approach to internet etiquette is to do what I would normally do when someone wishes at my actual living face, which is to reply to each one individually with a hearty thank you. It helps that my list of friends is terribly short, and the list of people who will bother to take the time to wish me a birthday because, as one poster put it, “their computer told them to” is ever shorter. So it doesn’t take as long as you’d think.
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### Author:  [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/12 "2014-01-30T09:11:25Z")
Same as OP. Yeah, it’s a bit impersonal, but so is posting happy birthday messages on Facebook. 😛
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### Author:  [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/13 "2014-01-30T11:59:32Z")
I send out a Happy Birthday on a person’s birthday and if they like it, I’ll use the first letter of their name and the last number of the day they liked it to add a peg into a game board of ‘Battleship’.
I must say I was rather crushed at recently losing my PT boat…
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/14 "2014-01-30T13:15:16Z")
> [@Nars\_Glinley](#):
>
> Today was my birthday
Happy Birthday!
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/15 "2014-01-30T13:36:12Z")
> [@Silver\_Fire](#):
>
> I ignore generic “Happy birthday!” posts. If they are clever or make a specific reference, or are otherwise unique, I will probably comment but definitely “like”.
Likes
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### Author:  [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/16 "2014-01-30T14:14:51Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#):
>
> Happy Birthday!
and from me!
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### Author:  [@Hogfather65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hogfather65)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/17 "2014-01-30T14:17:47Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#):
>
> I treat them with disdain and ignore them. These fuckers are only telling me ‘Happy Birthday’ because their computer told them to.
That’s why I hide my DoB on Facebook. 😃
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### Author:  [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/18 "2014-01-30T14:24:29Z")
I don’t ‘like’ or respond to any individually, but a day or so later I’ll do a group-thank post.
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### Author:  [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/19 "2014-01-30T14:24:57Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#):
>
> Happy Birthday!
This
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### Author:  [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)
#### Post date: [January 30, 2014, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-use-facebook-how-do-you-handle-happy-birthday-wishes/680103/20 "2014-01-30T15:22:34Z")
> [@shakes](#):
>
> this
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