Facebook Goes Global: Staying Safe Online

Magan Alfred, Program Coordinator, Education and Outreach, Dean of Students Office

By now most parents are aware of Facebook, by far the online community of choice for college students. Indeed, parents of new students may have an even greater awareness because the site is now available to anyone who wishes to join, and high school students have embraced the social network with as much gusto as their college-attending counterparts.

Now more than ever safety concerns are paramount because of this global accessibility. When the site was primarily restricted to those individuals with an "edu" email address, college students felt safe when participating. And for the most part this was true – but not because of that restriction. Rather, when students used the privacy filters provided by Facebook, and practiced good safety behaviors online, risks were mitigated as a result.

As we face a new academic year, it's worth repeating a few tips (previously published in the March 2007 issue of The Pawprint) that parents should discuss with their sons and daughters if they choose to belong to an online community:

• Refrain from posting personal information (cell phone number, birth date with year, residence hall room number, social security number, etc.)
• Think twice about posting photos of themselves in compromising positions (Employers are increasingly using the site when screening job applicants, using a search engine when screening job applications, and eliminating an applicant as a result of what they found.)
• Be aware of – and use – privacy settings these sites provide to control who can access their profiles

Being smart while online shouldn't be restricted to online communities Career Services at the UA also cautions students to pick suitable screen names and email addresses because they know employers look askance at those that are inappropriate, using sports terms, referring to alcohol use, or that have sexual connotations. Students don't always appreciate this reality: although they understand on an intellectual level that postings are ultimately accessible because of the public nature of the Internet, it's not unusual for them to express a sort of outrage when they discover that those outside of their community (read: adults!) can use the information they post.

It's also worth noting that if students are members of certain organizations (such as student government, the Greek community, or an ambassador to the University), or if they are an athlete, they may be subject to additional rules because of their high visibility and representation of these groups.

But students also find many positives by belonging to an online community: they can be an important tool for identifying others with similar ethnic backgrounds, gender and sexual orientations, and cultural affinities. Last year while conducting focus groups among students and staff about Facebook usage, the Dean of Students Office found that UA students say they use Facebook and other social networking sites to stay in touch with high school friends and to also make new friends.

Often new students form friendships at orientation activities and continue connecting with one another long after they've left campus. Roommates can view one another's profiles even before physically meeting – an opportunity that can have both negative and positive consequences.

The popularity of these social networking sites means they will be around for a long time: guiding students to use them wisely should be a goal for administrators and parents alike.

Magan Alfred may be reached at malfred@email.arizona.edu