Facebook... Social Networking at its Finest?
I remember creating my Facebook account the summer before I came to college. At that time, the site was exclusive to collegians, as an account could not be created without a verified university provided e-mail. I quickly added friends from both my high school world and my exciting new college circle and soon felt more connected to them than I ever expected.Within my first two years on Facebook, features were added such as photo albums and status updates. Applications came soon thereafter and the site expanded its membership privileges to high school students. As another few months passed, anyone could enjoy the site and it became a truly global network. Then came my personal favorite, the mini-feed... or as I lovingly call it, "stalker feed."
Facebook has turned into quite the phenomenon. There are millions of users that spend countless hours keeping up-to-date on their friends' every move. Some features I find interesting and helpful, while others I feel I deny requests for on a daily basis. Everything that goes on my profile, however, is something I wouldn't be ashamed of if my parents saw [Lord help me, if they ever figure out how to create a profile.]
As an active member within my sorority, we have constant discussion about what is appropriate on "Fb." Pictures and captions and wall-to-walls are all open to interpretation and if seen by the wrong people, can be detrimental to our chapter's reputation. Because the sorority is an international business, I feel that I am prepared to go into the job market with an appropriate profile. I also keep my profile set to private and do not add people I do not know.
Keep in mind that potential employers are everywhere. All social networking site users should be encouraged to keep their profiles clean; a bumper sticker that you think is funny may not be so hilarious to Mr. Bossman. Good luck tidying up and remember to keep it classy!
Posted by Amanda on 10/09/2008 12:55:00 AM
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2 Comments:
FB haha. I know that if I was every required to delete my facebook, even for a week, I would probably feel very disconnected, don't you agree? I know some people get way too into the "stalker" feed, but sometimes people almost use the news feed as a way to let everyone know what's going on. Almost like they do something fully knowing people will read it.
I had to delete mine for four months in order to be a recruitment counselor and I thought I would never survive!! At first, I felt very disconnected from my high school friends and sorority sisters that had gone home for the summer. But after a while, I realized that I needed to make the effort of calling them or e-mailing them to see what was going on in their lives. It seems silly, I know, but when you have such a simple tool taken away, putting that little extra effort in can really help strengthen friendships. I just hope that over the next few decades we don't all become "virtual friends" instead of actually making face-to-face contact.