"Mag-Facebook ka na kasi..."

Just a while ago, my co-teacher Menggai pointed me to this link - Can Facebook Be Your Friend?. Couldn't help but nod to most of the points made in that article.

Earlier tonight, Andrew told me, "Mag-Facebook ka na kasi, " when he told me about a recent earthquake of which I had no idea. I later on checked CNN and was promptly kept up-to-date with current events.

Over the weekend, Pisay98 has been trying to pinpoint which of our batchmates were badly affected by Ondoy, and Facebook was the platform for discussion (aside from our Yahoo!Group).

For the past months, my co-teacher Nino, who is now studying in Japan, has been teasing me about my absence from Facebook. It so happens that most of the other bio unit peeps get their updates about Nino's Tokyo adventures from FB.

It's been quite a while that the decision to open a Facebook account has been floating around. The verdict - somewhat undecided.

I'm trying to weigh the PROS and CONS.

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CON:
All the other sites I bother with (aside from email) are already big - HUGE! - time-wasters. Here's why I put up with all of them:

Multiply. I originally joined this as a repository of pics. I loved how it was so organized - blog here, photos and vids there, calendar over here, etc. I now have two accounts - one for my personal stuff, and the other for music-related stuff. I keep them apart because I value the connections I have with the music world; but they are still strangers to me, so I still want a more private account for just me and my life. Besides, I don't wanna bug my friends with Sugarfree gig pics and Peryodiko gig skeds every now and then (unless they signed up for it), or share with other music online buddies my teaching adventures for the day. I know Multiply lets you pick who you want to share your posts with, but it's complicated with the way I wanna keep things. Basta, ganun.

I also own (came to own, rather) pisaydiliman.multiply.com, which I try my best to update whenever there are important Pisay announcements. I also manage several Multiply accounts for my Biology 1 and Field Biology classes.

MySpace. I'm only on MySpace for the music. I love how you can listen to songs (even whole discographies!) of artists who are generous enough to upload their music. I also liked how it's the real artists who are there. I originally joined it because of Elliott Yamin and the Yaminoys.

Friendster. I believe the reason I originally joined this was also music-related - Rock Radio Cafe was one of my first (if not THE first of my) friends, if I remember correctly. I don't update it anymore, but I still keep it active for the birthday reminders and for the friends I have there. Besided my personal account, I own 4(!) Pisay profiles on Friendster - Pisay98, Pisay Connect (a collection of Pisay group - campus, batch, class, club, etc. - Friendster accounts), and the 2 accounts for Pisay Diliman. Not to mention the UP MBB Friendster account. I don't update those anymore :P

Blogspot. Again, the reason I joined the blogging world in the first place was to share my gig photos. I used to store my photos in Yahoo, photos.ph, and flickr. Now Multiply is doing that job very well for me. mightydacs98.blogspot.com was my very first blog. And now I can't let it go because it seems to do quite well in Google searches for stuff about the local music scene :D

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PRO:
Facebook has all those features that I like in Friendster, Blogspot, Multiply, MySpace. So why don't I just ditch them all and join Facebook?

Actually, why do I need to ditch them all and join Facebook...? ;)

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CON:
I've seen the interface, and it's too cluttered for me. Friendster eventually copied Facebook, and when it did that, I started not liking it (I didn't know then that it was Facebook that it copied). I'm pretty sure though I'd get used to it if I do join.

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CON:
I don't like how Facebook's URL's appear - again, cluttered. Multiply's is pretty much straightforward and easy to recall and share.

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PRO:
Everyone's on FB, meaning, it's nice to re/establish connections with family, friends, acquaintances, business contacts

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CON:
Even my family's on Facebook. I'll admit that I'm pretty much a different person at home compared to me as a Pisay scholar/teacher or me as a rabid music fan. I don't share most of the interests of my family and vice versa. So even if I don't mind them stumbling upon my Blogspot or Multiply (I do direct them there when I've posted family pics), I don't want to shove my other persona in their faces either.

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So, as you can see, it's mostly a NO or maybe a NOT YET for now.

But maybe when I do join, I'd probably just join to keep tabs on other people, but I'd still be keeping my Multiply and Blogspot updated the most.

Mind you, though, the tragedy that was Ondoy almost made me join Facebook. Prior to that, it was my need to know about Nino's Japanese adventures that convinced me the most :P

Can teachers be students' Facebook friends? (Houston Chronicle article)

I haven't jumped on the Facebook bandwagon, and I don't have any intention of doing so in the near future. I have my hands full with several personal and group accounts on both Friendster and Multiply, and I kinda still maintain my Blogspot, so that's enough for me. This article still hooked me in though.

My answer is YES - as long as the teacher knows his/her boundaries (whether we're talking about real or virtual interaction with students), and still maintains a professional relationship with his/her students (posts for my peers, for example, should not be set as viewable by EVERYONE). Similarly, if students want to 'friend' their teachers on social networking sites, they must also realize that whatever they post as viewable by 'Everyone' is also open to criticism or whatnot from 'Everyone' as well. The responsibility belongs to both sides of the fence.

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Teachers face dilemma with Facebook
Educators find benefits, pitfalls when adding students as friends on the social networking Web site
By ERICKA MELLON
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Dec. 20, 2008, 11:27PM

(Excerpts)

What seems like an easy question — Will you be my friend? — is not necessarily so for teachers who have joined the Facebook phenomenon.

The social-networking Web site, whose popularity has grown from the college crowd down to teens and up to boomers, poses a prickly question for teachers who want to connect with their tech-savvy students yet maintain professional boundaries.

Should teachers become virtual "friends" with their students?

Opinions are mixed. Opponents fear innocent educators will be branded sexual predators for chatting with students online, while proponents caution against overreacting to a powerful communication tool.

The issue made headlines this month after police accused a 42-year-old former Magnolia High School aide of having sexual exchanges with a 16-year-old former student he contacted via Facebook.

Such rare stories can alarm a community, said Melissa Pierson, who teaches instructional technology at the University of Houston, but educators shouldn't be afraid to use social-networking sites.

"Outside the classroom, in terms of connecting with students, there are some exciting possibilities," said Pierson, who also directs UH's teacher education program. "It's just, teachers need to keep their educator hats on."

Read the full article HERE.