MySpace and Facebook and Tagged, Oh My: What you need to know about social networking websites

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MySpace and Facebook and Tagged, Oh My What you
need to know about social networking websites

• Dr. Odin Jurkowski

Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL)
Spring Conference 04.16.07 Session VI (430pm)
04.17.07 Session VIII (1010am)
http//faculty.cmsu.edu/jurkowski/MASL2007
Last updated 4.13.07
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What this Workshop is all About

• Social networks
• What are these new fangled things all about,
• why do I need to know about them,
• what does it mean to me and my students?

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Agenda

• Introduction
• Web 2.0 (Library 2.0)
• Social Networking Explained
• Safety
• Education

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Expectations change

• Email is for old people
• Cell phone, IM, MySpace,

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Wow, thats a lot of users

• There are over 106,000,000 registered users of
  MySpace (as of 2006).
• If MySpace were a country, it would be the 11th
  largest in the world (between Japan and Mexico).

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Examples

• MySpace 80 of social networking use
• Facebook 90 of college students
• Tagged, and 100 others

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Social Networking Websites and Teens An Overview

• "More than half (55) of all online American
  youths ages 12-17 use online social networking
  sites, according to a new national survey of
  teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet
  American Life Project.
• Older teens, particularly girls, are more likely
  to use these sites.
• For girls, social networking sites are primarily
  places to reinforce pre-existing friendships
• For boys, the networks also provide
  opportunities for flirting and making new
  friends."

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• In December, the Office of Undergraduate
  Admissions launched a Facebook page designed to
  communicate and build community among students
  admitted to UCM for the fall semester. Within 24
  hours, approximately 15 of the admit pool at the
  time joined the community.
• Admissions Representatives have responded to
  student questions and concerns regarding a
  variety of issues including finding a roommate,
  selecting classes, orientation, next steps, etc.

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Everyones Involved

• Barack Obama http//www.myspace.com/barackobama
• Hillary Clinton http//www.myspace.com/hillaryclin
  ton2008

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Web 2.0

• Instant Messaging
• Blogs
• YouTube
• Video Blogs
• Podcasts
• RSS
• Wikis
• Social Bookmarking
• Online Photo Galleries

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Characteristics of a Digital Native

• Following is a compilation of characteristics of
  21st-century learners gleaned from a variety of
  sources, including an American Association of
  School Librarians blog, high school and
  university student interviews, and Kim Jones,
  vice president of global education for Sun
  Microsystems.
• Multimedia oriented
• Web-based
• Less fear of failure
• Instant gratification
• Impatient
• Nonlinear
• Multitasker
• Less textual, more modalities
• Active involvement
• Very creative
• Less structured
• Expressive

• Extremely social
• Need a sense of security that they are defining
  for and by themselves
• Egocentric
• Preference for electronic environments
• Have electronic friends
• Thrive with redefined structure
• Surface-oriented
• Information overload
• Widening gap to information access
• Share a common language
• Risk takers
• Technology is a need
• Aren't looking for the right answer
• Feel a sense of entitlement
• Constant engagement
• All information is equal
• No cultural distinctions (global)
• Striving to be independent

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Social Networking

• Asynchronous
• Less pressure than phone
• Not face-to-face less intimidating
• Easy
• Personalized
• Features Web 2.0 components discussion, notes,
  pictures,
• Events

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Positive Aspects

• Social networking is a way to connect to others
• Create new friendships, or a way to contact
  current friends
• Sense of community
• Opportunity to create a positive self-image

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Challenges

• False sense of security
• Students can be stalked
• Overuse can distract students from academic and
  other extra curricular time
• Association with certain interest groups could
  create a negative impact on image
• Could get in trouble with school administrators
  for improper use or poor judgment

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Safety on School Computers

• Filters
• Antivirus
• Deep Freeze
• Acceptable use policy
• Webpage disclaimers

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Warning to Students

• 77 of job recruiters check web sites and social
  networking sites before hiring
• Some schools using information on web to make
  discipline decisions
• Safety / stalking issues

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Stay Safe What to tell students

• Keep your identity private
• Never get together with someone you meet online
• Never respond to e-mail, chat comments, instant
  messages, or other messages that are hostile,
  belligerent, inappropriate or in any way make you
  feel uncomfortable
• Talk with your parents about their expectations
  and ground rules for going online
• Utilize privacy settings
• Google yourself
• What you post may be around forever
• Wayback Machine
• Think about who may see your profile parents,
  grandparents, teachers, employers

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Proposed Legislation

• Illinois
• Social Networking Website Prohibition Act (SB
  1682) public libraries and schools would have
  to prohibit access to social networking websites
  on all computers made available to the public.
• Georgia North Carolina
• SB 59 SB 132 would require owners of social
  networking sites to force minors to get parental
  permission
• Alaska
• SB 49 ties e-rate funding to blocking minors
  access to social networking sites unless there is
  parental consent

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ILA Talking Points

• Education, not laws blocking access, is the key
  to safe use of the Internet. Libraries and
  schools are safe places where kids can learn
  essential information literacy skills.
• Limiting access to social networking sites in
  E-rate schools and libraries will have little
  impact on the overall problem since young people
  access these sites from many locations. If
  children are going to get into trouble online,
  chances are it wont be at school.
• New Internet-based applications for
  collaboration, business, and learning are
  becoming increasing important, and young people
  must be prepared to thrive in a work environment
  where meetings take place online
• Local decision making is the way to solve the
  problems

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Educational uses

• Communication tool
• Student organizations
• Announcements
• But this is primarily at college level. What
  about k-12?
• Safety / Security
• Under 18

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Organizational MySpace Pages

• Brooklyn College Library http//www.myspace.com/br
  ooklyncollegelibrary
• ALA http//profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseactio
  nuser.viewprofilefriendid134390181
• Independence High School http//groups.myspace.com
  /index.cfm?fuseactiongroups.groupProfilegroupID
  100000360MyTokend909252a-83e6-48d8-a326-ca1098e7
  dbf8

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Why do we need to be aware

• Concepts are important, and these pieces show up
  in other secure software tools
• Need to understand what students are doing
• Need a safe social networking site for schools
• Parents need to communicate with children

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Social skills are integral to media literacy

• Preventing libraries from dealing with social
  networking sites is the worst possible course of
  action. Instead, lets make sure that our
  librarians and teachers have an informed
  perspective about whats going on in the online
  world, that they know how to balance the risks
  and benefits of using social networking that most
  adults now use to go about their work lives.
  Henry Jenkins

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Useful Resources

• List of Social Networking Sites
  http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_social_networ
  king_websites
• ePALS SchoolMail http//schoolmail.epalscorp.com/s
  choolmail/
• ePALS SchoolBlog http//schoolblog.epals.com/?ide
  palshome
• http//www.ila.org/advocacy/pdf/DOPA.pdf

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Examples

• MySpace http//www.myspace.com/odinjurkowski
• Facebook http//cmsu.facebook.com/profile.php?id5
  7008116
• Shuzak http//www.shuzak.com/SignIn.php

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Contact Information

• Dr. Odin Jurkowski
• Associate Professor of Library Science
  Information Services
• Program Coordinator, Educational Technology
• Department of Educational Leadership Human
  Development
• College of Education
• University of Central Missouri
• Lovinger 4200B
• Warrensburg MO 64093
• phone [phone]
• jurkowski_at_ucmo.edu
• http//faculty.cmsu.edu/jurkowski