It seems like my inbox has been inundated lately with stories about relationships and what effect social networks are having on them. More and more, social network sites are being named in divorces. Facebook has been specifically named in 1-out-of-5 divorces—and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see where problems may start to arise—someone reconnects with a long, lost girlfriend/boyfriend, spouse gets jealous/suspicious of on-line activity and posts, trust issues arise, etc. I’m definitely no relationship expert, so I did a little research and found a couple of interesting articles on how Facebook may be hurting your relationship and what you can do to prevent it.

Click here to see how it may be ruining your relationship.

But the big question now is: What’s the solution? Do you need to go the extreme of deleting your social networking accounts—or are there some simple fixes? According to what I saw on the love site Your Tango—you may actually be able to use sites like Facebook to strengthen your relationship if you stick to a few simple ground rules including:

1)      If you’re married, make sure your “relationship” status on Facebook says so

2)      Don’t be passive-aggressive and use your page to call out your spouse on something you’re not happy with.

3)      Share your log-in and password with your significant other—and let them know that you’re OK with them checking out your page, including looking at any messages you may send or receive—that shows them you have nothing to hide.

 Click here to see the full list and also some helpful tips on how to use Facebook to help your relationship.

I’ll leave you with a thought from the book “Committed” (the follow up to “Eat, Pray, Love) by Elizabeth Gilbert where she references the late renowned relationship expert, author and psychologist Dr. Shirley Glass and her “Walls and Windows” philosophy for relationships. She says keeping secrets or withholding info builds walls in your relationship, while being open and completely honest with your spouse opens windows to building a connected, intimate relationship. Words to live by.

Thanks for reading,

Kristi