Social Networking: What Business Educators Need To Know

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Social NetworkingWhat Business Educators Need
To Know

• Lisa Lewis
• Matthew Lutton
• Chi Chapter
• Indiana State University

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Outline

• What is Social Networking?
• Popularity
• Benefits
• Dangers to Consider
• In the News
• Suggestions for Protection
• Summary

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What is Social Networking?

• A map of the relationships between individuals
• Websites with user-created online profiles
• Personal information
• Hobbies
• Career or student information
• Photos, video, and/or
• multi-media
• Interests
• Comments/Walls

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The Sites

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Xanga.com
• YouTube
• Friendster
• Yahoo! Groups
• Blogger
• ClassMates.com
• LiveJournal

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Popularity

• MySpace has over 100 million
• registered users
• Ranks 1 in SNS
• Reportedly growing by over 200,000 users each day
• Busier than Google (2-3 times daily traffic)
• Facebook has 18 million registered users
• 30 billion page views/month
• 18 minutes/user spent each day
• Most viewed website by 17-25 year old males (56)
  and females (69)
• SNS grow by 47, year over year
• 85 of all high school and college students are
  members of either site

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Potential Benefits of Social Networking Websites

• Keeping in contact
• Making new contacts
• Networking/job search
• Messaging
• Blogging
• Developing computer skills
• Online memorials

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Dangers to Consider

• For Students
• Punishment for posted material
• Privacy concerns
• For Educators
• Employment concerns
• Maintaining the expected student/teacher distance

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In the News

• Carmel High School (IN)
• Sexually explicit and racial comments about
  teachers
• Expulsion and 10 days OSS fell under harassment
  and bullying policies
• TeWinkle Middle School (CA)
• 20 students suspended for two days
• Threatening comments and anti-Semitic slurs
  towards staff
• Northshore School District (WA)
• School threats and creation of false account
  using teachers identity
• Preventative lockdown and suspension of two
  students

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Suggestions for ProtectionFor You and Your
Students

• Monitor content
• Use your best judgment and common sense
• Know your schools A.U.P.
• Recognize the public nature of the Internet
• Educate your students on benefits and dangers
• Encourage responsible use
• When possible, get parents involved

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Summary What You Need to Know

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Q A