Is YourSpace worth it?
By Melanie Barnes, Entertainment Writer
April 29, 2007 | 8:28 p.m.
Snap! A moment in party history is frozen in yet another photograph, with red plastic cups and half-lowered eyelids staring boldly in the foreground. A chronicled account of any hazy freshman year can be relived in detail with just a few clicks through a MySpace or Facebook photo album. Friends may laugh at the pictures of the night Stacy tried to make out with Homer, the resident beagle, but potential employers are not likely to be as impressed.
Since Facebook’s launch in February 2004, over 19 million users have registered to join the ranks of their network-obsessed peers. The appearance of new features has added to Facebook’s appeal, the most influential being the creation of photo albums. Albums allow every registered user to upload unlimited photographs to his or her account, as opposed to the lone profile picture that stood before. However, these well-intentioned photos are beginning to turn up in the wrong hands -- the hands of those with the power to change your future.
Sylvester James Aji, assistant director of educational and scholastic programs at Ohio University, said he has used Facebook casually to browse profiles of students who have applied for scholarships or who wish to be admitted into Ohio University. “Facebook is a sidekick, not a deciding factor," Aji said. "However, if a student is displaying ‘Girls Gone Wild’ behavior, I would not wish to choose that student to represent my school or my company."
Although Aji will give the student the benefit of the doubt, the same can not always be said for other influential higher powers. “You build your own credibility,” he said.
Creators of Facebook have found themselves in unprecedented Internet territory, where the line that distinguishes authority of use and personal privacy is gray. As it turns out, a badly blurred can of beer in a picture may turn off potential employers and, at the same time, turn on legal attention. Malcolm Smith, interim director of Ohio University Judiciaries, says not to worry yet. Ohio University does not utilize Facebook as a tool for summons, which means there is no task force devoted to catching students with scandalous photos via these networking sites.
OU has yet to judicially refer a student because of a MySpace or Facebook account. “MySpace and Facebook profiles should not be cause for judicial referrals,” Smith said. “They can be used unfairly to target certain well-known students and offer unequal protection to students without accounts.”
However, Smith does recommend restricting what you choose to place on the Internet in order to avoid misrepresenting yourself.
Don’t delete your MySpace account just yet. Ryan Hartley, an OU management information systems major, said there are steps that can be taken to keep unwanted eyes from peeking at your page. The usage of privacy settings on both MySpace and Facebook can keep the non-technical savvy employer from seeing last night’s keg stand, but larger companies have the time and power to get inside. Hartley suggests setting your account to “friends only” or “private” and being selective when determining who can see your page. After all, alumni e-mail addresses can also be used to create college Facebook accounts, and any e-mail address can be used to create a regional account.
“Anything can be hacked into,” Hartley said. Even blocked photo albums can be seen with an expert tweak of a URL. Removing self-incriminating photos and embarrassing information from these Web sites is your best bet for a clean slate.
“Don’t get caught for what you thought was hidden,” Hartley said. Facebook and MySpace are great learning tools for networking and getting to know other students; however, the difference is in knowing how much is too much. Hartley advises that users learn how to sift through their incriminating materials and retain only the best to showcase.
Facebook junkies: the rules are simple. Before placing that picture of Stacy in your latest album, rethink. Would you (or Stacy) want a potential employer to see this? If the answer is no, you know what to do. Too much of a good thing is possible, and the unwise or thoughtless usage of Facebook or MySpace can detract from even the shiniest of students. Be careful out there, fellow Facebookers, and oh yeah, friend me!