Student Affairs

Student Judicial Affairs

On-Line Social Networking

On-line social networking has become a phenomenon across college campuses.  Facebook an on-line social networking site that is just over 3 years old tallies 250 million hits daily and ranks ninth in overall traffic on the Internet.  Currently, there are over 43,000 members in the ASU Facebook community alone.

On-line social networks are a means of connection.  Through on-line social networking individuals can develop their own identity, share memories, music, and photos with current friends, and create new relationships with other social networkers. On-line social networks provide a wealth of opportunity for connection. 
 
Social on-line networks are also much more than a place of connection with peers. On-line networking sites are regularly visited by people such as potential employers, predators, and law enforcement agencies.  On-line networkers must engage in networking cautiously, in an effort to protect themselves from negative consequences.  Please consider the following if you are an on-line social networker.

Social Networking Sites are Considered Public Space

Social networkers post content on any site at their own risk.  Safety settings are often low and must be altered to prevent content being viewed by unwanted individuals. Even with these precautions, content posted on a social networking site it is considered public information.  Social networkers grant the on-line company the ability to copy, publicly display, and distribute posted content for any reason associated with the site.  Posting something you planned for viewing only by friends may appear in the next on-line advertisement for Facebook. Also, because a social networking site is a public space, it is important to remember that law enforcement agencies may use the information to find participants in illegal activity.

Limit Personal Information

A social networking profile is the perfect place for a predator to find potential victims.  Avoid providing specific data about yourself; for example, do not post your phone number or physical address.  Posting such information makes you a prime target to become a victim of a crime. Also, be aware of information that friends may post about you. Information that is easily uploaded from digital media may be embarrassing or incriminating.  Finally, note that any personal information in a computer can be harvested and infiltrated. Specifically, after using a public or shared computer make sure to delete your history and files. These files may be viewed by other users later, if they are not deleted.

Avoid Posting Anything You May Regret Later

There are times we may do something that seems harmless or funny in the moment, but later the humor wears away and it is no longer funny.  Copies of all content posted on any internet site may remain viewable in cached or archived pages, even after removal.  A silly practical joke that is posted on the internet today may keep someone from achieving a life-time dream, such as election to a public office if the context is cached on an internet page.

Remember Your Profile Page is Just Like a Resume

Currently many companies both small and large are researching applicants on-line before offering them a job.  Companies ranging from Microsoft to Métier, a small company in Washington D.C., report that researching applicants’ on-line social networking profiles is becoming common practice. (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/11/us/11recruit.html)   

Social networkers have the right to make their own decisions about self-expression.  However, as members of a community governed by laws and where judgments are often made about the content of ones character through self-expression social networkers must thoughtfully consider what they choose to make public on networking sites. 

Note:
The above information was obtained through publication materials developed by Texas Women’s College, Cornell University Office of Information Technologies, The New York Times, and Facebook.