I started the account because I was curious as to what the appeal was. Also I had students here handy to help me set it up (a big PLUS). I really liked the concept but I was soon to turn sour on it for any part of my social life. It continues to be an excellent way for me to say "howdy" to my students without the implied need for an answer that an email suggests. If I'm thinking of Suzy Jones all I have to do is go to my own MySpace and click on her picture. Perhaps I will find out she's just back from hiking the Appalachian Trail. I can leave a little message about that for her. A pleasant way to interchange niceties....
After reading others blogs about Facebook, I opened an account but was really upset when I was asked for my personal email password. This was to check if there was anyone in my contacts list that had a Facebook account so they could search their data base. I tentatively gave that information only to have a list shoot back that had every name checked in the list. If you went too fast through this screen, it would "appear" that the checked boxes were all people who had Facebook accounts but if you read the fine print you see that it defaults to sending everyone in your address book and invitation to open a Facebook account... ergo it sends SPAM!!! I happened to notice my deceased mother's name on the list and that's when I pulled up short of clicking on through! I'm sorry but I closed my Facebook account then and there. That is just sneaky and uncalled for in MY mind! If I would have clicked on that I would have been VERY embarrassed to have sent that sort of thing to my friends in-boxes! Too close for comfort.
I suspect I will always keep my MySpace account. I don't go there often but when I do, it is nice to see a little greeting from someone. They are like little cyber postcards the shout outs, pictures, bulletins and announcements.
2 comments:
Do you find that students answer you less when you send "shout outs" on MySpace than when you send e-mail? Is this a function of the locale (formal vs. informal)? a function of who has invited you vs. who you find? a function of your status/intent (friend/social vs. employer/job)? Or merely a function of manners?
An NPR piece not too long ago discussed the appropriateness of employer/employee contact via internet outside the workspace. Of course it talked about searching for info about prospetive employees, but also touched on the implied expectations / pressures /protocols when responding to bosses who use these forums.
I never use MySpace for work issues. I only send a message of a birthday greeting or something like that. If students don't respond in anyway, I take that to mean they didn't like me in their MySpace and I don't send them anymore messages, as a courtesy. Mostly though they will contact me back eventually with a howdy. It's all very light.
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