Saturday, February 18, 2006
BLOGS: 20,000 out of 26,000 Iowa State students registered on Facebook.com
ORIGINAL URL:
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4515444&nav=2HAB
Posted on the WHO-TV site (Des Moines, Iowa)
Des Moines, February 16, 2006 - To many of people over the age of 30, 'Blog' is a foreign word, but it's probably part of your child's vocabulary. That's because millions of teens and college students blog everyday. It's like a diary or journal, but in the case of a blog the information is immediately published on the internet - accessible to anyone who logs on. The question is 'What are the consequences of blogging?' The number of students registered on blogs is astounding. The director at ISU's School of Journalism checked into it. He found of the nearly 26,000 students, more than 20,000 are registered on Facebook.com.
Anyone with a computer and a password can read a blog. That includes police, potential employers and college administrators. Two popular sites for bloggers are Myspace.com and Facebook.com. Some bloggers post their names, addresses, phone numbers and even pictures that sometimes show the blogger in compromising situations. Some bloggers also keep a journal. Some entries describe daily activities, while others might be characterized as cries for help. Now some colleges and universities are taking a look at these blogs. Some are restricting use and access to blogs. Educational institutions have also leveled charges against students based on information obtained from blogs. There is even an instance of a student being expelled for making threats through a blog. On Thursday, a group of Drake students met with administrators to talk about how to handle blogs.
