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Social Networking Sites Like Facebook
Require Caution It's not just your friends and peers visiting social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, Friendster, MSN Spaces, and Craig's List. Consider how parents, university officials, and potential employers, even predators, may react to the text and images you post. Keep in mind that your profiles, blogs, photos, videos, and chat room exchanges reveal a lot about you. Social networking may be a popular and growing trend on the Internet, but users should approach this phenomenon with caution. Thousands of new and usually young users each week are creating profiles and sharing perhaps too information about themselves. Social networking sites were established for legitimate reasons (in addition to steering traffic to advertisers). They foster the creation of social groups around common goals or interests and promote community and the exchange of information. Some, like Friendster and Craig's List, also allow classified ads that bring together the providers and consumers of various services, jobs, housing, and entertainment in different geographic locations. But the more purely social aspects featured on sites like Facebook and Myspace appeal to a younger demographic. These sites exist mainly to promote online friendships and connect people through user profiles, personal communications, and group events. Young users may not consider the repercussions of indiscriminate postings and the danger of disclosing too much personal information to people who are essentially strangers. When creating a profile or connecting with others on any social networking sites, be mindful that the information you post is fairly accessible, and, worst case scenario, consider how it might be used against you. Limit the amount of personal information you reveal and always observe common courtesies and maintain a healthy level of skepticism and caution in your communications on these sites. For additional guidelines on protecting your identity and yourself on social networking web sites and when communicating with people who are essentially unknown to you, refer to these helpful articles from US-CERT and Microsoft. |
Quick Tips Consider how parents, university officials, and potential employers may react to the text and images you post Keep in mind the dangers of disclosing too much personal information on social networking web sites and when communicating with people who are essentially unknown to you |
| OIT | Office of CIO | TELR |
