Best-Schools

(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES - The growth of online social networking sites, such as MySpace.com and Facebook.com, help facilitate the preservation of friendship, but also serves as an abundance of personal information to strangers. When USC student Holly Ashcraft was accused of leaving her newborn baby in a dumpster earlier in the school year, I quickly signed onto my Facebook account, hoping to find out what she looked like or if she was in one of my classes. After browsing her profile for just a few minutes, I got a clear idea of who her close friends were, what organizations she belonged to and even her favorite television shows. Later that night, local news stations broadcasted Ashcraft"s Facebook profile picture. I assumed they had a USC intern or recent alum with a Facebook account look up the picture for them. The Los Angeles Times also looked up Ashcraft on Facebook and cited information from her profile.

During the USC Student Senate elections in February, I decided to fulfill my responsibility as a voter and research the candidates. I looked up the names of the people who were running on Facebook.com. Some showed up; some did not. One of the first people I looked up was a prominent Senate member. His profile seemed pretty bare, but when I scrolled through his photos, I realized what an incredible inebriate this candidate was. Photo after photo showed a beer bottle, shot glass or red plastic cup in his hand. His face was red, his eyes bloodshot and his behavior degrading. He was also underage at the time and although his conduct seemed typical of a college student, perpetual drunkenness was not a characteristic I looked for when voting for potential Senate members. I wondered if other voters did the same as I had, because when elections were finally over he did not win.

A few months ago, a former colleague from a summer internship found me on Friendster.com and sent me a message. While my profile did not portray me as a promiscuous or undignified individual, I did have an embarrassing picture on my profile. I quickly signed on to my account, deleted the picture of me making funny faces in a fat-suit and tried to respond as professionally as I could.

Social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook and Friendster do have their uses. I have found long-lost childhood friends on the Internet and have been able to keep in touch with friends from high school. I can update my contact information, invite friends to birthday parties and other social events, read blogs and share inside jokes through the posting of comments. But while all these functions seem to be valuable tools to maintain friendships, I have forgotten anyone with Internet access can see the information I have posted.

According to Alexa.com, a Web site that monitors traffic rankings, MySpace.com is the fourth most visited site on the Web. Facebook.com currently comes in at number 57. Potential employers can check MySpace and Facebook accounts of their applicants. While the information posted on these Web sites might not have been listed on resumes or cover letters, photos of scantily-clad college women going to a club, drunken fraternity parties and other typical college behavior might be offensive to employers and give them the idea that the applicant is irresponsible and frivolous.

The next time you post a picture on Facebook, write a blog on MySpace or leave a comment on Friendster, remember employers, professors, colleagues and everyone else can see them as well.