Thing 18

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?ref=profile&id=1212755437

I have been on facebook for about a year and my friend's list has grown to 77, which includes family members, some instructors from my Masters program, friends from church, and some friends from my early years in elementary through high school. I am an avid "farmer" in both FarmVille and Farm Town, and have "borrowed" friends and neighbors from some family members in order to make participation more enjoyable. Out of necessity, I must budget my time and activities there. I recently heard that the average facebook user is logged in for seven hours a month; I wonder if they misread that information and should have said "per week." I have no business at all setting up a corresponding account in MySpace with similar features and games available.

What started as a family venture - to reconnect with our generation of 11 cousins spread from Miami to Columbus, OH - has expanded to include people I met throughout my Masters program, some of whom have already left Clarksville. All three of my children also have accounts and I stay in closer contact with them as a result; there is an email feature and an online chat for communicating privately. A long-time friend held out from my initial invitation until just the other day when she (hesitatingly) joined.

Recently facebook upgraded its service and some of the changeover has not run smoothly. It has been a source of frustration rather than fun, but they seem to be working out some of the details a little at a time.

Nearly all school children from middle school age are active on MySpace or facebook, sometimes both. Although some schools have a policy against such social friendships between teachers and students, my youngest has always enjoyed being online with her teachers. She can contact the teacher through email with questions she might have, and it offers the teacher an opportunity to see the student as a real person instead of just another student - likes and dislikes, how the student interacts with others, what items are added on the Profile page. It also adds a dimension to the students perception of the teacher, who becomes more real as well. Pictures of family, pets, and activities can be shared which can enhance the classroom interest.

Privacy issues for adolescents can be an issue, and besides parent oversight, teachers can encourage their students in the prudent use of this social medium. Teachers can also be alert for unsafe activity on the student's part while interacting with others on the internet.