Facebook: Handle with Care

The agora in ancient Greece was a forum for the citizens of the polis. Philosophers and intellectuals as well as plebeians and traders would go to the agora to defend their ideas and opinions, to buy and sell goods or to meet with friends. The ancient Greeks knew the value of having an open place to kindle communication. But, in addition to its benefits, the agora was a place for swindles, pickpockets and crime.

Centuries later, this line of thought is carried into the digital world with social networking sites (Web sites designed to help you connect with friends, colleagues or simply people with similar interests). With names such as Bebo, Orkut and MySpace, social networking sites, along with their benefits and dangers, have emerged to stay. Among the most popular, particularly at universities, is Facebook.

In the beginning, the aim of Facebook was to connect college students, faculty and staff all over the United States. It was free to join, and the university populations adopted it quickly. The site had one million people registered by the end of its first year in February 2004. By March 2007, users numbered nineteen million (PR Newswire ).

All users who register on Facebook receive a standard web page, where they may display a profile that includes personal information, such as name, gender, sexual orientation, relationship status, “looking for” (which ranges from “friendship” to “whatever I can get”), birthday, hometown, political and religious views and contact information. Users may also choose to write about their favorite activities, interests, quotes, educational and work background and any other aspect of their lives.

Profiles are not visible to everybody. Users can choose to show some or their entire profile page to other users. Non-Facebook users cannot see these profiles at all.

Facebook permits the posting of pictures, and six million photos are uploaded daily (Facebook.com ). A tagging system enables the Web site to automatically recognize and identify people in a picture. This attractive feature makes Facebook a competitor of photo-oriented sites, such as Webshots.

What is the idea behind it all? After designing a basic profile, the Facebook search tool helps users to look up friends and contacts who are also on the site. Then, users can link their profiles with others to become Facebook “friends” and build a social network. To be Facebook friends, one user must ask for permission from the other. Once granted, the users are able to view each other’s profiles. It is normal for people who have just met or perhaps rarely talk to mutually agree to be Facebook friends.

In addition to adding friends, users can create groups of interests. Once you join a group, it becomes part of your profile. Many times, people in the groups don’t know each other offline, but they discuss topics of shared interests.

Once restricted to college students, as of September 26, 2006, a user needs only a valid email address to create a profile. While anybody can join, Facebook still attracts primarily the interest of the college crowd. Roughly 85 percent of U.S. college students use Facebook. In a few cases, faculty at universities have required students to create accounts to use as a communication tool (TechCrunch.com ).

Facebook has a straight-to-the-point style. For example, it does not offer tools for blogging or file posting, as with MySpace. While some could see this as a limitation, its young, college-based audience might prefer this accessible and consistent design that emphasizes the content of the profile rather than flashy media.

While fun and useful, Facebook has some problems and peculiarities. Social networking sites such as Facebook are prime environments for online predators, who blend in with other users by creating profiles and preying upon the new “Facebook friends” the Web site allows them to meet.

A proposed law called Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) of 2006 would require federal schools and libraries to block access to social networking sites. This restriction would not keep students from accessing these Web sites at home or elsewhere.

In addition to predators, other people not affiliated with a college also log on to Facebook for less social purposes. Police and administrators at schools and colleges use Facebook to check for improper or illegal behavior of students. Pictures posted on profile pages give evidence of underage drinking and other misdeeds (The Northerner ). Schools have expelled students for offensive comments published on their profile pages. (Boston.com ).

Some companies turn to Facebook to find college students as job candidates. Wired News reported that the CIA uses Facebook as one of its recruiting methods, and more employers are likely to do the same. Facebook users should take care to avoid publishing information or images that could cause trouble for them or leave a bad impression.

Facebook is a wonderful communication tool if used carefully to keep in contact with known friends, and not to contact strangers. Take care when publishing comments and pictures of people to avoid harming anyone's reputation, particularly your own!

Remember to use caution when meeting strangers online, similar to meeting strangers offline. Before adding an apparently unknown user as a Facebook friend, ask him to clarify how you should know him. Unless his explanation sounds convincing, he should not be added.

By achieving success as a virtual meeting point and an ideal place to organize activities, Facebook and other Web sites that encourage social networking maintain their popularity despite their risks. An idea nurtured in the agora of ancient Greece continues to have value today.

References

• Social network sites are leading a new tech boom  (PR Newswire)
• Inside Facebook engineering  (Facebook.com)
• 85 percent of college students use Facebook  (TechCrunch.com)
• Facebook postings, photos incriminate dorm party-goers  (The Northerner)
• Fisher College expels student over website entries  (Boston.com)
• Personal information and job search sites (MySecureCyberspace)

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