<p>Our high school has decided to have a meeting about this next week. Apparently, it's getting the attention of more of the parents now, thanks to the recent New York Times article and now this one. There was a thread about this that was deleted when CC crashed last week. Here's the link to the ABC News article:</p>
<p>Interesting. I've long suggested that kids be careful when writing to these online blogs/journals. I was able to google the name of a kid of a friend and was led directly to one of her online blogs. Her mom had no idea about her personal info being out there and of the kinds of things she was posting for the world to see -- not to mention that her postings and info were so readily accessible to just anyone. If kids are going to post to these kinds of things they must absolutely be careful and use good discretion.</p>
<p>Related article in the Williams Record <a href="http://www.williamsrecord.com/wr/?section=news&view=article&id=7527%5B/url%5D">http://www.williamsrecord.com/wr/?section=news&view=article&id=7527</a></p>
<p>Maybe the most relevant to this forum is the idea that admissions officers, future employers, and campus police can and do search these sites! If it's out there they can use that information - even when what they find is not legal to ask in an interview situation. I love what someone said in the old thread - "It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you!" Cries of invasion of privacy, and the dangers of stalkers aside, common sense dictates protecting yourself against this very real possibility.</p>
<p>So you don't think that we can dispense with College Board anytime soon. Use the web like monster and just let the college bus pick us up there? Darn I thought this process might be moving forward.</p>
<p>Even the professors are getting in on it: <a href="http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/30/43ddce10e9f9f%5B/url%5D">http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/01/30/43ddce10e9f9f</a></p>
<p>As I explained to my daughter: keep in mind that anyone with basic computer knowledge (which includes her dad) can read it any time they want to.</p>
<p>Thank you for the links to the articles. They were very helpful.</p>
<p>Facebook isn't the same as myspace or whatever - it is very, very easy to ensure that no potential employer/the police/campus authorities/etc can see your data without you knowing by simply changing a few settings. In any event, unless a potential employer has a .edu email address from your college, facebook is safe from their prying eyes.</p>
<p>The 1/8 NY Times article described how employers were getting .edu addresses to access facebook profiles on potential employees.</p>
<p>... but then you'd have to request to add someone as your friend and they'd have to accept before you can review their profile. Unless that .edu is from the same school.</p>
<p>And even if they DO get a .edu from your school, just set your profile to "friends only" well before employers have any reason to look at it - problem solved.</p>
<p>But isn't it still possible for anyone to still see who your friends are and search THEIR sites to find something on you? (photos of you, messages from you etc.) What if the friend hasn't set their profile to friends only, for example? I think this is true on MySpace, for example.</p>
<p>They MIGHT be able to get photos - if you set your privacy to the highest setting then they would have to manually look in every album at your school for photos, and would not be able to get at the photos of you in kid's at other school's albums. Honestly, it is very, very easy to make it very, very hard for anyone to find dirt on you through facebook. Myspace I have no idea about.</p>
<p>nah some employers look at facebook</p>
<p>They can LOOK but if you set yourself invisible on searches and make your profile only available to friends then you'll be practically impossible to find. Did you even READ what I said?</p>
<p>Potential employers can look at my facebook if they are really that bored.</p>
<p>hehe, take a look at this video: <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/myspaceprank.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/myspaceprank.html</a></p>
<p>People who have time to search the Internet or websites to find ways to get people in trouble or find something bad or juicy about someone have too much free time.</p>
<p>Interestingly enough....even our rural HS which can be behind the times with some things....I get the daily e mail newsletter to parents (I guess cause my kid normally would still be in HS but she graduated early) and today there is a special email to parents telling them about the recent segment on Dateline about MySpace and alerting them to this issue. </p>
<p>Susan</p>
<p>We had an incident in our town this week with facebook. The challenger to our incumbent congressman has a college-age daughter (underage) whose drinking pictures turned up on her facebook and were reported to the press. This was very embarrassing for her dad, because he currently the sheriff.
I don't think anybody will vote against him for his child's behavior, and I don't think the press should report private family matters. However, this serves as a good reminder as to why kids, especially those with influential parents, should be careful what they put on the internet.</p>