If you're going through a divorce it's advisable to stay away from social networking sites until the divorce has been finalized. There's been a trend of using websites like Facebook and Twitter to complain about soon to be ex-partners during divorce proceedings. With social media sites like Facebook and Twitter becoming more and more popular, it's easy for people going through a divorce to be tempted to share their feelings online. In some cases it may be posting information about the stress they're under, but equally it could be derogatory or unpleasant accusations leveled against their former partner.
Divorce is a highly charged and emotional time, but it's important not to turn the situation into a public slagging match that is played out for everyone to see online. If the situation is allowed to escalate, then it can lead to added tension between the divorcing partners and this may even prolong the settlement.
Especially when seeking an amicable divorce, I advise my clients to steer away from 'bitter twitter' rows, and I believe that divorcing couples should consider an internet truce until divorce proceedings are complete. It is also important to think about the impact these online outlets could have on children, particularly in the case of an on-going custody battle.
It seems that U.S. celebrities have also fallen into this social network trap - there have been a number of prominent 'bitter twitters' in the news recently. Frasier star Kelsey Grammar, posted a series of personal tweets about his ongoing divorce case earlier this year.
It's important to highlight the 'bitter twitter' issue to people going through divorce and to show how it can have a negative effect on them - time for a 'tweet truce'. I even advise estranged couples not to post pictures of their new flames online and not to share information about their children on their Facebook pages . Wait until after the divorce settlement is final. This type of activity can add fuel to the fire and even a divorce that starts off amicably can quickly degenerate into an ugly battle, which is undesirable.