Social networking sites – communication tool or trouble?

By Winged Rodent 

Bebo, MySpace, Facebook – like it or not, social networking sites have their digital claws all over our lives.
People use them to keep in touch with friends and family overseas, teenagers use them to manage their social lives, employers use them to snoop on potential staff and the odds are you use one yourself. They are having a growing impact on our personal and professional lives and are now throwing up all sorts of questions about student/teacher relationships.
In case you have been living under a cyber-rock for the past few years we will provide you with a Pigeonhole definition of what a social networking site actually is:
A social networking site is a web-based service that allows people to set up public or semi-public profiles sharing interests, photographs and generally letting people know what they are up to. These profiles are connected to profiles of other users and you can interact between them.
Common breeds:
Bebo: A social networking site generally aimed at tweens and teens – This one was a regular fixture in the news last year after allegations of cyber-bullying among school children.
Facebook: Similar to Bebo but more popular with adults. As well as sharing information and photographs, there are an endless number of applications you can add to your page allowing you to take quizzes, ‘buy’ drinks and chew on people with your pet Zombie.
MySpace – Where it all began. These sites started popping up in the early noughties and were very popular among musicians, artists and activists as a way to promote themselves – not quite as trendy as the above two now, but still going strong
OldFriends – A networking site designed help people contact people from old schools, workplaces and other groups that they may have fallen out of touch with.
There are also a number of dating sites, but we’ll put those aside in the meantime…

A full list of social networking sites can be found on wikipedia at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networking_websites

So much has been said about the pros and cons of these sites – particularly in terms of student/teacher relationships. Some schools use them as communication tools between students and student groups, while others are warning teachers to stay as far away from them as possible.
Social networking sites provide opportunities for teachers to link online with like-minded people sharing ideas and information, as well as providing another forum for communication with students.
Overseas a number of schools are embracing social networking technology as a way of communicating with students and adapting to the technology they are using. Some teachers have found that students who tend to zone out during morning announcements are more likely to pay attention to them if they appear on their Facebook page. It has also been used as a way of networking with school clubs, student councils, sports groups and organising fundraising initiatives.
There are however a number of risks involved. There can appear to be a loss of professionalism and appropriate teacher/student boundaries if teachers don’t differentiate the way they use social networking sites with their students from the way they do with their friends. Communication online is often informal and lacks the non-verbal cues of face-to-face conversations. It is easy to respond and publish before the time has been taken to consider whether a quick-fire response is appropriate. Students may have access to personal information and off-the-cuff comments made by teachers that they perhaps should not be seeing. There is also the chance that they may get access to photographs or personal information that could be used against teachers. Conversely teachers may find themselves having access to personal information about students that they are not equipped to deal with.
There are valid reasons behind each stance, but both need to be looked at in detail before making any decisions. The Pigeonhole IT experts realise that social networking sites are not going to go anywhere any time soon and feel the best way of dealing with them in through a series of practical guidelines.
Teachers should be aware that the publication of private and personal information in any online forum cannot be controlled, nor the use of that information monitored. Information you have published may be copied, altered and republished on another website or in another format.
You should remember your online activities can affect your offline life. You should be clear of your school policy and make sure to maintain appropriate student/teacher boundaries.
You should not post any information you would not feel comfortable sharing with a stranger (ie address, phone number, photographs or party invitations) and be aware and make use of the privacy options on the site you use.
The PPTA is putting together a series of guidelines to help deal with social networking sites, which will be available in the next few weeks. The Pigeonhole will keep you updated on their progress.
Being the nosy beggars we are, we would love to hear your thoughts on these networks, how you and your school deal with them, and any tips you have for people involved in these groups.