Anyone with a Facebook account can attest to the constant drama surrounding the popular social networking site.

Typically, when any major event happens, users quickly take to Facebook to vent their frustrations, excitement, and every emotion in between.

On February 4, 2004, Facebook was launched by Harvard University students Mark Zuckerberg, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes.

Originally, Facebook was designed as a way for college students to interact with their peers and stay connected. However, since 2006, the site has opened up to anyone 13 or older. That means that anyone with internet access can essentially possess a Facebook account.

Perhaps, this is where the problem started. Your mother, grandmother, husband, wife, exes and enemies can all have access to your private life-—if you choose to share it. If you’re in need of a Facebook resurrection, I’d like to share my top five tips to avoid facing the Facebook drama.

1. Utilize privacy settings: One of the easiest ways to control who views your profile can be through the built-in privacy settings provided by Facebook. Many users only allow their friends to view personal content such as status updates and photos. This can help cut back on the drama immensely if you’d like certain details of your life to remain private.

2. Less is more: When it comes to social networking sites such as Facebook, sharing less is always more. No one needs to know that you just had an argument with your ex or what you had for dinner. Let’s leave some things to the imagination here.

3. Beware of spam: You know that gorgeous girl or guy who sends you a friend request, but they don’t have any other photos on their profile? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you accept the request, you might be bargaining for a little more than a hot date.

4. Avoid online confrontation: Yes, everyone has an opinion. We know that. However, 9 times out of 10, there will always be someone that disagrees with your opinion. If you see something on Facebook that bothers you, delete the person or just move on.

5. Overcome the envy: One of the most common causes of Facebook drama can be attributed to your significant other’s online activities. If you want to avoid the dreaded joint account, plan a time to sit and discuss your expectations surrounding social networking behaviors.

Italia Gregory is a staff reporter for The Charlotte Gazette. She can be reached at italia.gregory@thecharlottegazette.com