After being badgered by some librarians about the great social networking sites available, I jumped into Facebook and I am having a blast! I was sure it would be a nightmare- no one would be my "friend"or only creepy people would be on the 'net. To my delight, I have made contact with people I hadn't thought about for many years. College and high school friends have popped up and we have been able to catch up without me having to book a plane ride or find the right dress to wear. The librarian in me is still wary of the scope of social networking and its potential for privacy abuses, but right now I am thrilled with my small reunions of very nice people who are probably like me ... just wondering what ever happened to that person?
Librarians still need to be leaders in educating about social networking. Every time we help someone load a picture or create a profile on one of these sites, we need to use that as an opportunity to talk about safety issues. Young people, in particular, are not as saavy as they might think about Internet security issues and privacy. Show them how to have fun but keep it safe. For all you other librarians, come on in and join the party.
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