Dunn on the Run: Facebook is fun, but be careful

President John Dunn (Chyn Wey Lee/Western Herald)

I enjoy being on Facebook. As of last night, I have approximately 3,000 friends.  Most of my friends are WMU students, so that makes the connection special.

While interaction with my friends has to be somewhat limited due to time constraints, there is a great comfort in using this social medium to “connect” and to be open and available to students. I am not an authority on Facebook or other social networks, but I am learning every day.

In accepting a friend, I follow a few simple rules. My quick assessment of a potential Facebook friend and whether or not to accept a friendship offer is based on the potential friend’s profile. I like friends who project an image that immediately says something positive about the person.

Negative images are turnoffs.

Recently, I reminded a new friend that I would much prefer that his picture include a Bronco shirt and not one from another school.  “And by the way,” I said, “Toss the beer can!”

I prefer friends who convey a message that projects pride in themselves and in their university. A profile built to honestly say, “This is who I am,” is very important.

Good communication on Facebook is important.

Like most people, I enjoy seeing something new in the message box, and I try to respond to messages in a timely manner.

If there’s a complex question or something that should be handled via e-mail, I remind the sender that my e-mail is: john.dunn@wmich.edu. I think my friends appreciate that I want to respond to questions and provide assistance, but I also want to preserve confidentiality.

Receiving invitations or notices through Facebook is also very interesting and, for the most part, informative.

I am somewhat disturbed, however, when an underage friend wants me and all of his/her friends to enjoy a birthday party that begins with an invitation that includes offensive language and suggests, among other things, that “it’s all about the beer.”

I am no prude, but seeing such material usually brings out the dad in me. I worry when some of my friends fail to realize that Facebook messages, including invitations and notices, are read by many, many people.

Please be careful and thoughtful about words and images used to identify any event.

We should all have learned by now to avoid putting anything negative on Facebook that might eventually be read by a current or prospective employer. The rule of thumb is pretty simple.

Include only those thoughts, words and suggestions that would not offend mom, dad or loved ones.

More than one person has been upset when a message considered private became more public. The stakes here are pretty high.

Being careless with this medium might impede future job searches and lead others to make quick judgments that could close doors or open them to the wrong kind of “friend.”

Facebook is a great tool.

If used properly, the messages and images, including pictures, paint a portrait that communicates a great deal about the talents and persona of the individual.

I am encouraging my friends to be thoughtful about their Facebook space and to use this milieu as a means to highlight their positive attributes and celebrate the people they are and want to become.

John M. Dunn, Ph.D., is the president of Western Michigan University.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=10991

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Oct 29 2009. Filed under Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
Web Manager: I'm a Communication Student at WMU, a SCUBA Diver, Boater, Ordained Minister, Notary Public, Web Designer, Film Maker, DJ, and of course a Journalist. Born and raised in Port Huron, MI and a graduate of SC4. http://www.codykimball.com