As an increasing number of students become involved with blogs and the facebook, some worry that na??ve collegians of the Internet age may not be mindful of the repercussions.
Blogs are public online journals in diary form available at sites such as livejournal.com and xanga.com. The thefacebook.com is an "online yearbook" with which some universities are involved, allowing students to create profiles to find and communicate with others in the college community.
Communication professor Alex Halavais, who has been conducting research on student's online social networking habits, said there are both positives and negatives to these resources.
"There's always a chance of identity theft," he said, although he has not come across any cases in his research. "Obviously you want to be careful about the information you put out there."
Halavais said there is one danger of online networking that doesn't occur to most students.
"What they really don't think about is whatever goes on the Web, there is a decent chance it will be on there forever," he said.
As a result, employers, family members and strangers could have access to it now and far into the future. For instance, children 20 years down the line could find something their parents posted as wild college students.
Halavais said students need to ask themselves, "Is this what you want your public face to look like?"
As the Internet becomes increasingly developed, Halavais said in the future it might be impossible to erase all traces of items posted online.
"Generally, you can try to erase it, but there is always a chance it will come back to bite you and will stick around," Halavais said.
One way for students to avoid having their information seen by unwanted eyes is to use a different name, Halavais said. This gives students more freedom so that they don't have to worry about the things they are posting.
Other dangers to posting information online are stalkers, especially for students who post their address, phone numbers and screen names.
Mauricio Alvarez, a freshman psychology major, said the only information he doesn't post on the facebook is his phone number.
"I've had some weird calls before," he said.
There are numerous advantages to networking online, however. Halavais said students are participating in online academic discussions, sometimes even as requirements for their classes.
"They're getting more out of their education and they're more engaged in it," he said. "It allows for more interesting integration."
As an international student, Alvarez said his blog and the facebook have helped him meet new people.
"It is an interesting way to meet people," he said, adding he always makes sure his blog entries don't get too specific about the details of his life.
Santiago Yeomans, a senior electrical engineering major, said his blog helps him keep in touch with friends and family, and is cheaper and takes less time than writing or talking to each of them separately.
"I'm out of town so it's a comfortable way to communicate with people without writing emails," he said.
Some students choose not to become involved with blogs or online networks.
"It's kind of time-consuming," said Pete Ernst, a sophomore fine arts major.
Kaileigh Hollowood, a freshman undecided major, is also uninterested in the blog and facebook scene.
"I would feel kind of weird having random people look at my picture," she said.
As for blogs, Hollowood believes diaries are personal, not for everyone to see.
Halavais said the facebook has become popular because it is replacing traditional hard copy yearbooks and it ties students to other students in the same area quickly and easily, much like a personal address book.
Blogs also connect students, allowing them into each other's lives.
"If enough people are doing it, it has value," he said. "It is tied to real life."
