Facebook is a social networking Web site where people meet, interact and share information online. Photos, videos and blogs are how the young-adult generation expresses itself.
Having proper etiquette online can be a challenge.
Betsy Ostroff, professor of communication, offered advice on keeping Facebook pages clean.
“Think before you post anything on the Internet. You don’t want pictures of you and your friends getting wasted online. Be responsible, anything you think might not be a good idea to post probably shouldn’t be posted,” Ostroff said.
Ostroff also gave advice for graduating seniors, who are getting ready for interviews. “Go through and filter your page before the interview. HR departments will most likely do a background check online. Inappropriate photos that could potentially keep you from landing your job should be deleted.”
Cabrini students on campus seem to have strong views on companies completing a background check on Facebook. Bryan Mandarino, sophomore English major, said, “I think that it’s a little weird that companies look you up online, but before my interview, I would most likely delete it or set it to private so nobody could judge me.”
Derreck Shenk, sophomore biotechnology major, said, “I will now watch what I post online especially since employers have free access to our Facebook. I feel it is wrong for employers to discriminate based on what the person does in their social lives. I do feel that employers could not hire someone based on Facebook pictures because they want professional employees.”
Online manners are easy to ignore, but think twice before you post videos, photos or don’t reply to people.
Mandarino said, “I think it’s more important to respond to personal messages on Facebook, rather than posts on my wall because people are taking their time out to talk to me, where if it’s on my wall I sometimes ignore the person.”
Asked if he has ever ignored your friends’ personal message or posts, Shenk said, “Not intentionally. The only time I do not respond to a post or message is if a generic statement and other times I simply forget to respond. However, if I ask question, I would like a response. If they do not respond I wonder whether they got the post or not.”
Online etiquette is tricky because there are a lot of aspects that correspond to the internet.
“I think it’s important to choose what you put on Facebook wisely, because if your future employer bases their decision on what they see on your page it would be smart to realize what you are putting out there. Facebook is a great way to meet new people, but you also have to be smart about not putting certain pictures or information that could affect your future,” Ryan Muller, junior business administration major, said.
