Sound Bites

Do you take part in the Web 2.0 world of social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace, blogs and wikis? What do you like — or dislike — about them?

Steven Peterson, lecturer, Communication Studies Department

Yes, I participate in social networking sites regularly ... for research purposes, of course. :) [Peterson teaches courses such as Communications 156: Social Networking.] I am more careful than most when posting personal information, and realize that information about me and my friends is being collected and sold. Like all SNS users, it is sometimes a challenge when my personal and professional worlds collide.

Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, associate professor, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies

I think social networking is a fantastic technology that should be embraced. We're doing it in our classroom as a tool for collaborative student work. We're also creating new social networking sites to work with community groups within the United States and abroad linked into the process of doing international economic development. I think that there's a huge future for social networking. The fact that some people are obsessed with the social dimensions of it now is not indicative of its real value for many areas of life. We need to move the boundaries forward to use it in many other areas.

Deborah Henderson, assistant director, Catering Sales and Meeting Room Services

Social networking is a part of my life. I get tons of interaction with fellow colleagues, friends, family and networking through online sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace. I keep up with colleagues and friends who live far away more online than on the phone. It is definitely faster and more convenient. You can e-mail someone while waiting on hold to speak with someone on the phone — it's conducive to the multi-tasker.

Trisha Ananiades, undergraduate counselor, Academic Advancement Program

I love keeping in touch with my friends because everyone's kind of spread out and doing their own thing. We keep up with each other, share pictures. I also make new social contacts — we have a lot of friends in common. My social network is purely social, never for work. The funny thing is that I used to be a high school teacher so I try to keep my page pretty standard and traditional because I don't want students and others to see my personal stuff.

Octavio Pescador, associate director, Center for Community Learning

It's somewhat of a double-edged sword. Since the 1960's, the human context of social interactions has diminished, replaced by the bonding and closeness that you can develop through virtual interaction. These online spaces improve connection among a group that interacts with other people in fewer and shorter hours. Yet I see these forums as something to be handled with care. They're a useful resource to improve communication with youth who spend more time on machines, but they can be dangerous when used for fraudulent purposes.

Troy Bartels, Greek Advisor, Center for Student Programming, Fraternity and Sorority Relations

I use Facebook a lot to share photos with my friends and family. It's also a good, easy way to send quick messages to people, to say hi to some people you haven't seen in a long time. I don't have Facebook up 24 hours a day but check it maybe two or three times a week. What I don't like about it is that, in this age of instantaneous response, if you don't instantaneously reply to something someone posts on a page, they'll send you a message, thinking something's wrong.