This is an area that I have a lot of interest in in my professional career as so many students are using these sites as a tool in their personal lives that it would be beneficial to include them in an academic way.\u00a0 For the sake of this post I decided to look at the following four social software sites: Delicious, Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin.<\/p>\n
After reading through each sites’ terms of use pages I found that there were many similarities and blanket statements that were made.\u00a0 For instance, each of them made a statement about the terms of use and privacy statements being able to be changed at any time (some even recommended that users check back regularly!).\u00a0 Both Facebook and Linkedin use and cite Truste online privacy seal and services in their policy while the other two did not.\u00a0 Twitter made a specific mention that people’s information would be shared with the world as that is the purpose of their service (“You are what you tweet”) while the others mentioned the ability to hide information.<\/p>\n
When considering whether these sites would be useful or appropriate to my students I have many thoughts.\u00a0 When I polled the students at my school I found 98% of them used Facebook as their main social network.\u00a0 Only 5% used Twitter and many did not know what it was.\u00a0 0% used Linkedin, but some mentioned that their parents used it for business.\u00a0 And despite seeing its value and introducing students to the Delicious bookmarking sites they seem to have very little interest in using it.\u00a0 This left me with a decision to try and meet them in the place where they conduct business.\u00a0 The problem with being on Facebook is the backlash from some staff about having to be a “friend” with students in order to interact with them on the site.\u00a0 Of course, anyone who has ever used Facebook knows that the term “friend” does not mean the same thing on the site as it does in the real world.\u00a0 This has led me to create the quote that: “those that are most against educators using Facebook have never used it themselves.”\u00a0 It is amazing that often the same people who criticize this social network are also the ones that promote Twitter.\u00a0 The problem with Twitter is that the whole purpose is that the world will see what you are writing.\u00a0 What would make using Facebook any different?\u00a0 Many would argue that it is the nature of the pictures and messages on walls that create the danger.\u00a0 If this is the case then it is the way the student uses online sites that needs to be changed and educated not the site itself.\u00a0 When I asked one student why they use Facebook rather than Twitter they responded: “Why would I use Twitter when I can only post a message of 150 characters when I can do the same thing on Facebook, but also have pictures, videos and all my friends in one spot with a chat?”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This is an area that I have a lot of interest in in my professional career as so many students are using these sites as a tool in their personal lives that it would be beneficial to include them in … Continue reading