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Have you noticed you have been “unfriended” on Facebook? Researchers reported on how to avoid getting unfriended on the social media website in simple steps, such as responding to wall posts.

In an article titled “The rules of Facebook friendship: A two-stage examination of interaction rules in close, casual, and acquaintance friendships” published online on April 25 in the Journal for Science and Personal Relationships, authors Erin M. Bryant of Trinity University and Jennifer Marmo at Arizona State University examined unspoken friendship rules on Facebook, using focus groups and survey data. Most of the rules, that are designed to prevent possible awkward situations, are quite simple, such as responding to messages, do not disrespect others, and do not post anything that could get in their professional life.

“If you’re trying to project yourself as very professional and you’re trying to get a job and your best friend comes on your page and posts something like, ‘Oh what a crazy weekend, I saw you do those five keg stands,’ then your friend has hurt your reputation,” said Bryant according to Live Science.

Facebook, a social networking website launched in 2004 by a Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg, is one of the largest sites with over 900 million registered users. Quantcast ranked Facebook as No. 3 for United Sates, right behind Google and YouTube.

Upon registering, users can find someone they know and request to become his or her “Facebook friend”. The friend could range anywhere from a family member to a random guy you talked to on the bus the other day. While it may seem trivial to most, there are some unspoken interaction rules that helps maintain relationships in this new social arena.

During the first stage of the study, researchers had a focus group of 44 students at Arizona State University who came up with 36 big and small rules. For instance, users expect a respond when they post something on others wall. Also, wishing happy birthday is a must, whether it is posting on the site or in person. Writing anything that could hurt their current or future job should also be avoided.

The second stage involved a survey to 593 students, asking whether the 36 rules from the first stage apply to close friends, casual friends, or acquaintance. The study has found that they differed significantly in their endorsement on some of the rules.