TECHNOBABBLE
FACEBOOK HELPS INDIVIDUALS CONNECT AND SHARE WITH THE PEOPLE IN THEIR LIVES. • More than 175 million active users • More than half of Facebook users are outside of college. • The fastest growing demographic is those 30 years old and older. USER ENGAGEMENT • Average user has 120 friends on the site. • More than 18 million users update their statuses at least once each day. • More than 4 million users become fans of pages each day. APPLICATIONS • More than 850 million photos are uploaded to the site each month. • More than 7 million videos are uploaded each month. • More than 28 million pieces of content (Web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared each month. • More than 2 million events are created each month. • More than 25 million active user groups exist on the site.
• MySpace was launched in August 2003 as “a place for friends.” • Its headquarters are in Beverly Hills, Calif., where it shares an office building with its immediate owner, Fox Interactive Media; which is owned by News Corporation (owners of Dow Jones and Company) and the New York Post. • MySpace operates solely on revenues generated by advertising as its user model possesses no paid-for features for the end user. OTHER SOCIAL NETWORKS There are dozens of other social networks for various niche markets, including the following. • Ning — Launched in 2005, it is an online platform for people to create their own social networks. • LinkedIn — More than 35 million professionals use LinkedIn “to exchange information, ideas and opportunities.” • Plaxo — Created in 2005 to help people “stay in touch with people you care about.”
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Social networking sites confront advisers The debate: Should students and teachers be ‘friends’ on Facebook or MySpace?
T
BY BRADLEY WILSON
he debate: Should students and teachers be “friends” on Facebook or MySpace? An online teacher’s blog posed the question: Should teachers “friend” students on Facebook? Of 208 respondents, 92 percent said no. JEA members, who agreed, although by a narrower margin, acknowledged that times are changing and that social networks are a common method of communication. Given the proliferation of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, some districts suggest that teachers not “friend” students but are OK with students “friending” teachers. Others prohibit it entirely. To modern students, though, the resistance toward the social networking sites is puzzling. In another online forum discussing whether teachers and students can be online “friends,” one comment voted as the “best answer” said, “It’s not ‘risky’ if you’re not stupid. Just assume that whatever you post on Facebook is visible to anyone — students, parents, administrators, etc. Though Facebook gives the option to make profiles public or private, users should not assume that maintaining a private profile guarantees that it will not fall into the wrong hands. “I am a high-school teacher and have a Facebook page. The kids see it and try to add me, but I politely deny their requests. Many teachers at my school have pages too. The administrators have advised us to remember that everything is public and that the Internet is forever.” Facebook reports that it has more than 175
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million active users and more than half of them are out of college. The fastest growing demographic is those 30 years old and older Clearly Facebook is not only for teenagers. And it is not simply for idle gossip either. • Students use it to correspond with one another about schoolwork. • Groups use Facebook to schedule events. • Yearbook staffs promote sales. • Newspaper staffs use MySpace to post links to stories for readers who might ordinarily visit the site. • Photographers use the sites for critiques. Facebook and MySpace are methods of communication. When used properly, they are like e-mail so they can be both effective and practical for teachers and for students. While the academic community, particularly administrators, often get hung up in the Facebook terminology of “friend,” students see the networks more as a method of communication — almost like a cross between e-mail and Twitter. Based on the amount of media coverage of social networking, a great many people are infatuated with the social-networking sites. Recent stories on the print wire services, local newspapers and National Public Radio ranged from how two state attorneys general found registered sex offenders on MySpace to how relatives were benefiting from their online social network connections to how people were using such resources to find or to create jobs. Clearly social networking now involves more than simply being social. n SUMMER 2009
WHAT JEA MEMBERS SAY AWKWARD • Some students friended me and I accepted, but overall this has turned out to be unnecessary and sometimes awkward. I don’t initiate the friending process with kids. ASSIGNMENTS • My students often use the Chat or Wall parts of Facebook to ask me questions about assignments.
GRANDPA IS ... BROWSING YOUR FACEBOOK PAGE
By Beth DeFalco Associated Press Writer, March 10 HAMILTON, N.J. — When your 88-year-old grandfather sends a request to be your “friend” on Facebook, you have two choices: Either confirm it, then quickly take down all those party pictures you thought were so funny or plan on never coming home for the holidays. … “I don’t browse Facebook much, but I see that it is a way to get to the nitty-gritty of a person’s character,” my grandfather explained. “Also, a way to do something late at night when I can’t sleep.”… Facebook estimates that it has a few million users over the age of 65. MySpace claims to have 6.7 million users age 65 and over on its site. In fact, according to MySpace spokeswoman Jessica Bass, older users are among the site’s fastest growing demographic.
FACE IT, KIDS: PARENTS, TEACHERS DO FACEBOOK
By Rachael Bogert McClatchy Newspapers, March 5 “Uh, whoa. “Parents and teachers are on Facebook, and their numbers are on the rise. “Created in 2004 for college students, Facebook started allowing high-school students to join in 2005. Then, in 2006, the Palo Alto, Calif.-based company invited the general public to create Facebook profiles and begin inviting people to be their friends (a.k.a. “friending”). “With a reported 175 million members worldwide, Facebook has evolved way beyond the latest teen fad. So now, if Mom, Dad and teacher have e-mail addresses, they can create Facebook accounts.”
MYSPACE VS. FACEBOOK: CAN THEY COEXIST?
By Jacob Ruffman McClatchy Newspapers, March 5 Tried ‘em both; sleekness of Facebook gets this vote. Jacob Ruffman — “Facebook allows me to stay in touch with my friends from all over. And that is what these sites are for — keeping in contact.” For us music lovers, it’s gotta be MySpace. Jenna Harvey — “To generalize, MySpace is for music lovers in high school while Facebook is a site more suited for young adults trying to keep in contact with their college friends.” MySpace now seems like an online starter course. Tamar Kuyumjian — “The whole idea behind Facebook is targeted toward more mature interaction.” Not giving up one for other, but Facebook gets most use. Rachel Robins — “At this point I wouldn’t give up one for the other, as each site has its merits. MySpace and Facebook are the modern phone call. Instead of dialing up one person’s number and talking to them, you are able to contact as many friends as you want easily.” SUMMER 2009
FORMER STUDENTS — It is not appropriate for current students. It seems more acceptable to be friends with former students. INCIDENTS • I’ve seen more than a few teachers get fired because of incidents that started with Facebook. Being friends is fine once they graduate. OFFICIAL • Unless there is an official newspaper/ yearbook/school publications Facebook or MySpace account. But not on personal accounts. STRICTLY PROFESSIONAL • Not unless the teacher’s Facebook or MySpace is strictly a professional site — not used for personal reasons. YEARBOOK GROUP • My yearbook class has a yearbook group where students can send pictures to one another. GOOD DECISIONS • The teachers have a responsibility to maintain “clean” spaces, but the friending between students and teachers allows the students to see their teachers as role models for good social networking habits. Additionally, my existence as their friends helps the kids make good decisions about posting habits. Communication is so easy through these sites.
FACEBOOK Like the largest group of social networks, JEA members tend to favor Facebook (n 79.2%) citing its clean interface. Some (n 13.1%) used MySpace, but more (n 20.0%) admitted that they did not use any social network. • “Although we have an account for the yearbook as a marketing vehicle, I personally do not have an account because I value my privacy. I am an extremely social person but have found the networking sites to lack friendliness, actual personality and credibility.” • “I still have a MySpace account but very rarely check it and actually use it. Facebook is much better.” • “I can’t access them from school as they are blocked and frankly, I don’t have enough time at home between taking care of my family and grading papers. I don’t need any more on my plate.”
COMMUNICATION • Why not? It’s another way of communicating. ACQUAINTANCES • Friends on Facebook means something different from friends in real life. Facebook friends equate more as acquaintances. SHARE • It’s an excellent way to communicate, to share information and to make assignments. SCHOOL INFORMATION • I have a staff/school Facebook that is used strictly for school business. Announcing due dates for photos, sending messages to people about trips, etc. I never look at the students’ personal pages. At home, I have my personal accounts. I do not accept friends or people who will directly hook up with current students. PRIVATE INFORMATION • Having students know that adults can and *do* see them on the social networking sites keeps down the misconception that you’re invisible on Internet. I often let students know that I saw their pictures — especially when I’m *not* their friend so they realize friends of friends of friends can have access to *private* information. PERMANENCE • Too dangerous as a social network? OK as a class activity? The social interaction is not going away. We should be involved to educate both ourselves and our students.
FRIENDS DECISION? Whether students and teachers should be “friends” on Facebook or MySpace was almost evenly split between NO (n 54.6%) and YES (n 45.4%) Of the 130 respondents, the vast majority (94.1%) said they used the sites for STAYING IN TOUCH WITH FRIENDS. Other uses included e-mail-type communication (64.4%). About a third said they used the sites for posting group activities and slightly more than 40 percent used the sites for following status updates. • An editor created a page for the newspaper found that almost 50 staff members and alumni have signed up. “The kids have found a common bond in newspaper and share what they are doing,” the adviser said.
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