Thing #22

Social Networking

I have had both a myspace and a facebook account for a few years for the purpose of connecting with family and friends. My most recent activity has primarily been on facebook since the birth of my daughter 20 months ago so that I could share photographs of her with my family and friends who do not see us very often. I have seen the positive and negative aspects of using these social networking tools, and am still on the fence on the effectiveness of their use. I have a few friends who post information they have enjoyed reading in online magazines and newspapers, and I enjoy the dialog that occurs as a result. It is nice to have an army of "friends" who can answer a question quickly or provide advice or assistance with just about any topic. I enjoy these aspects of online social networking, but worry about the consequences of having so much information "out there". I can see how students could benefit from being connected in this manner for the positive aspects mentioned above, but so many young (and old) haven't realized the repercussions of some of their actions on these sites.