Instagram has become a huge and, dare I say, almost essential part of our daily routines. It’s basically a scrapbook for the modern age–if used correctly, of course. You want be able to put your photos on display, while also appealing to your followers. You want them to enjoy their Insta-xperience, right? Then have some Insta-manners and follow these Insta-rules!

Don’t Post Heinous or Ugly Pictures

To clarify, I’m referring to those pictures of your drunk friend sitting on a toilet, the blurry shot of a hair you found in your BLT at your favorite diner, or the big gash in your leg you got from tripping during your morning run. Please, for your followers’ sake, keep these pics saved on your phone and DON’T thrust them upon us. But don’t worry–there is an exception! Feel free to post the X-Rays of a gnarly broken bone. You busted your clavicle after falling off your cousin’s quad and lived to post it on Instagram from your hospital bed? You bet we’re gonna want to see the proof of that one.

Don’t Clog Your Followers Newsfeeds with a Ton of Photos in One Day

When you go to a concert no one wants to see every single blurry shot of the band from 500 yards away, okay? Knock it off.

Keep your Hashtags Short, Sweet and Relevant

We’re all guilty of it. Adding a handful (or several handfuls) of hashtags to the end of our perfectly composed Instagram caption, and maybe just going a little overboard. When your hashtags go from short, searchable phrases to full blown, overly specific sentences, it’s definitely time to stop.

Have Some “Self”ie Control

While I am not a huge fan of selfies (which probably has to do with the fact that I can’t take a good selfie to save my life), I don’t think they necessarily should be banned completely. Sometimes when your eyebrows are on fleek, you just have to show the world. I get it. Just please, for the love of all that is good in this world, don’t overdo it. (I’m looking at you @KimKardashian.)

Don’t be a Copycat

Passing off another account’s photo as your own is pretty uncool. Just give photo cred in the caption, or even better, use the Repost app! Besides, we all know there’s no way you took that high-res photo of the sun setting over Lake Champlain. Last time anyone checked, you didn’t even know your iPhone had a panorama setting.

If someone does happen to steal one of your photos on Instagram, here is how to report it!

Filters. Matter.

This is not to say that you should slap a filter on every picture you post–because in my opinion, you shouldn’t. What I mean is that the filter can make or break the photo. Unfortunately, many filters are extremely overused and tend to make most photos look washed out, discolored or downright ugly. Sometimes all your daily lunch picture needs is a little light adjustment, not a heavy X-Pro II or Brannen filter.

Avoid Posting MCMs (Man Crush Monday) of Your Boyfriend Every Single Monday

Unless your boyfriend is a Ryan Gosling look-alike, then we probably don’t want to see him on our news feeds every Monday.

Unfortunately, while following these tips won’t guarantee that you’ll reach 10k followers overnight, they will help you keep the followers you do have, and ensure that they don’t secretly hate your guts because you’re spamming their newsfeed with atrocious images. Be kind to your followers and take pride in your Insta!