As anyone with a brain will tell you, there are some things that are appropriate for Facebook, and there are some things that aren’t.

It is entirely possible to share too much. Or as the cool kids once called it, TMI.

For example, whenever a couple gets into a fight or breaks up, it invariably spills over onto Facebook. One person will comment how “They’ve never felt so betrayed” or they’ll quote some stupid song lyric about being a tormented soul in love. Watching this fill my newsfeed makes me wonder why I’m Facebook friends with them in the first place.

Facebook statuses have transformed into a very public way of conveying your feelings, but it can be used inappropriately. I believe the case of missing NIU student Antinette “Toni” Keller is a good case in point. Scroll through your Facebook newsfeed and you will find friends who have posted something along the lines of “Thoughts and prayers go out to the Keller family. Stay safe NIU.”

I understand the need to express your feelings on Facebook; for a good chunk of us, that’s all we have. Reacting to the news of someone’s death, especially of a Huskie like Keller, is never easy, but posting Facebook statuses like this is a good way to foster a community of support that is needed to overcome a tragedy like this. I’d be guilty of being a hypocrite if I said I had never done the same thing.

But let’s be reasonable. Posting your support is one thing, but talking about, in the words of at least one NIU student, “executing” the person responsible is not appropriate. Yes, it is your right to voice your feelings, but swearing revenge makes us feel awkward, especially when you consider the fact that we still do not have the full story.

The same can be applied to the Facebook group about Keller. Post messages of love and support, not how “the person responsible” deserves to die.

And above all, don’t post rumors and try not to speculate. People panicked on Wednesday when someone posted that they overheard that police had found a body in Malta. DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott discounted those rumors, but not before everyone seemed to have collectively lost their sanity and posted reactionary posts.

We do realize there are still numerous questions that need to be answered, but posting them on the Facebook group will not get those questions answered. What will probably happen, however, is that someone will try to answer the question, and someone will misinterpret the answer as being what actually happened. This is how rumors happen.

And we need to keep in mind the facts, too. Remember, the DeKalb Police have not actually said that they have identified the remains as Keller’s. The missing person search has transformed into a death investigation, but it is still a distinct possibility that it is not Keller’s remains.

This is a time for the NIU community to come together, and Facebook is one avenue for that. But keep in mind what you’re posting on Facebook.