On Jan. 7, an unknown GBS Facebook user launched the GBS Compliments page, a project first introduced by students at Queens Uni- versity in Kingston, Ontario. GBS students send anonymous compliments via inbox messages, and the unknown facilitator of the page then posts these compliments on its wall.

According to Compliments’ Facebook page, the page’s mission is to “spread some love,” and the user also reminds students that “rude and hateful comments will be ignored.” Although The Oracle believes Compliments’ intentions are sincere, we think the student body should reevaluate how they use the page to avoid further mis- use and its potential to become a fad.

The Oracle agrees that during the first nights of Compliments, people expressed genuine thoughts of the student body, but the page has become a tool for compliments that, while possibly sincere, seem forced and unspecific. We believe the best use of the page is to acknowledge students who may feel overlooked, or to specifically recognize someone’s actions or kind words.

Submitting compliments such as, “You’re a nice person,” or “Thanks for being a good friend” might have a positive effect on a person, but we ask that posters think about their purpose for sending in such compliments. Do you need to log into Facebook and send that type of compliment for most of GBS to see, or is the compliment more appropriate for a normal, private conversation? Are you submitting compliments that aren’t consistent with our suggestions and therefore are not suitable for the page?

While the Editorial Board believes the sincerity of the posts has declined, we recognize that there is no way to know how much even a generic post can positively affect someone. The Oracle supports the existence of Compliments if the posts note a specific instance when someone has positively affected your life, whether that means sending a thank you message to an acquaintance who helped you in a difficult situation, or expressing gratitude toward friends who might not know how much they’re appreciated.

Though many of Compliments’ posts have strayed from the original intention and have become jokes or solely for the Facebook world to see, The Oracle believes the account should still exist if students adjust their purpose for posting a compliment as well as the content of the posts.

In doing so, Compliments would be much closer in fulfilling its mission: to unite our student body through the social media lens, something GBS has had difficulty with in the recent past due to anonymous GBS Twitter accounts that have resulted in cyber bullying.

Whether students are feeling school-related stress or having difficulties elsewhere, Compliments has the potential to greatly improve a student’s day. The most important thing to remember is that it’s not the number of Compliments posts you receive, but it’s that a per- son took time to appreciate your words, actions or character. Though the page most likely won’t last forever, when used appropriately, it presents a great example of the potential power of a few kind words.