UNKNOWN SMEARING!!

Dear Fany,

I am a 35 year old woman who found on facebook (no less!) that someone in the town I used to live in is smearing my name. I don't know who. But several of my former friends have "broken up" with me. Again, over facebook. I know, so 8th grade. But I was really hoping to go back to this town and now I feel like I can't. Any advice?

First of all, facebook is a really cowardly way to smear your name. If they wanted to say something they should share it face to face. You don't have any control over other peoples' words or actions-just your own. There are many reasons why someone would want to smear your name. Anger, jealousy, hurt, immaturity....and so on. How you handle this is up to you. You can choose to avoid the town and "unfriend" those people on facebook who have hurt you, or you can choose to go back to the town with your head held high and prove to others that you are not smear worthy! But, if you know why they could be smearing your name and there are things that you have done to cause this....you may need to go back and fix the problem before it gets out of control. It is really sad that the public forums have become a way for us to share horrible things about others. But, on the flip side; forums have also become a way for us to share good things about others. I hope we choose to share good!