Work/ Play Q and A

Q. Is it a bad sign that people need to be reminded that what appears on their facebook page can be seen by anyone they accept as a friend, even coworkers?

A. Yes.

I actually think "The Online Divide Between Work and Play" is the type of thing we need more of. Especially considering a number of discussions we've had in class about laws and privacy with networking sites, it is evident that a set of rules should be imposed and made clear. One would think that much of what becomes an issue on facebook would fall under the catagory of common sense, however, the newness of networking sites seems to encourage people to forget that all actions have consequences and that privacy is an important boundary to be aware of.

This question and answer column deals with a number of subjects that I think are important, like how to handle coworkers requesting connections when you don't want them to see what's on your page. Wow. I think modern society has started to forget all about politeness. What a nice refresher. Remember, after denying someone's request, you still have to see them at work the next day, so a nice little note about wanting to keep work and private life separate along with consistancy among coworkers can go a long way.

Even better yet is the "public embarrassment" bit. This really reflects our classroom discussion about teachers not wanting to know what illigal activities their students are up to. How easily we forget that everyone has a camera phone now that can quickly upload unflattering photos to the internet that we might not want people to see. This seems to be one area where a number of people have gotten into trouble, and yet I don't know that we (as a society) have really come to a conclusion about how to avoid it. The article says to be aware that any of our connections can tag a photo of us, but is that enough? And is remembering that people can see what we post for status updates enough to keep us out of trouble when we are angry and want to vent about our jobs?

I really appreciate that this article tackles some of the issues that have come with online networking and gives practical advice, but I don't think it goes far enough. I really believe that people need a rulebook. Much like the old Victorian "how ladies should behave" books that set a standard of what was acceptible, we need a "how to handle yourself online" book. I'm afraid, in totally overdramatic fashion, that if a standard set of rules isn't publicly made available and readily understood, people will only become ruder/ more offended and it will be too late to go back and add a touch of class to things.