Think Twice Before You Post

By Jenny Gardynski
(jgardynski@student.stonehill.edu)

Kim Pepin posts photos on the social networking webssite Facebook, but she’s careful what they depict.
Pepin, 20, of Acushnet says she does not post photos very often but when she does, she makes sure they are private, only for her friends to view.
She's one of a growing number of people networking online these days.
A 2006 study released by Children’s Advocate John Walsh, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Cox Communications has found that 61 percent of 13 to 17 year-olds have a personal profile on sites such as MySpace, Friendster, and Xanga. Half have also posted pictures of themselves.
“There are some problems and dangers with people posting pictures on the Internet such as employers or school administrators attaining the pictures and younger children becoming victims of online predators,” Pepin said.
A growing number of employers are now looking at photos online and are telling workers what they find objectionable.
According to a 2007 study released by the Pew Institute, one in five working American adults says their employer has a special policy about how employees present themselves online.
Justin DeConti, 20, of New Bedford, a student at Stonehill College, said he has heard about companies looking at photos on MySpace and Facebook to get a sense of the character of the individual they are hiring. He said his only advice to friends is simple: don't be foolish.
“Post wisely and post only what you want others to see and think about how you're perceived when you do so. If you want people to view you as irresponsible, please, by all means, post those pictures, but don't assume that no one is looking,” DeConti said.
DeConti said he doesn’t post any pictures of his friends online, but does post pictures of himself on MySpace publicly. He said there are still pictures of him on Facebook that have been posted by other people.
“I'm fond of the idea of parents taking an initiative in talking to their children about the Internet and how dangerous or how educational it can be,” DeConti said.
He also said that he is not a fan of censorship and that he doesn’t see much danger in posting pictures.
“The danger lies on how readily obtainable other information about them is,” DeConti said. “Pictures are pictures. No danger there, but pictures with names and addresses is something more of a worry.”
Fifty-eight percent of teens said they do not think posting photos or other personal information on social networking sites is unsafe, according to a 2007 study also released by Children’s Advocate John Walsh, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and Cox Communications.
Cynthia Tougas, the director of instructional technology of New Bedford Public Schools said parents must sign off on a permission slip if their child wants to post pictures online.
“I strongly feel that there is no need to have any identifiable pictures posted online in a K-12 setting,” Tougas said.