Think before you post

"Do people think that when they post a comment, a video, a photo on the Internet, only their confidants will see it? Have they forgotten it is called the World Wide Web?" -Ann Woolner.

I found this commentary on the Statesman website titled "Think before you post" by Ann Woolner. She identifies several different situations where freedom of speech and/or posting personal pictures via Myspace or Facebook has gotten many people in trouble. The author's targeted audience is most likely teenagers and young adults. She does not go into great detail about the cases where the owners of Myspace or Facebook get screwed over for posting too much information on their sites but the point she is trying to get across is obvious, therefore I suppose she has strong credibility. She cuts to the chase and says, "The point? MySpace is everyone's space." Things posted on individuals MS/FB accounts have been used against them in court on several different occasions. Is this okay? Probably not. Is it being done often? You bet.

I strongly agree with Woolner. Although we have the right to post all of our personal business on our Myspace or Facebook, it's probably not in our best interest. According to Woolner, an honor high school student got suspended for posting on her Facebook that her teacher was the "worst ever". Perhaps it's just me, but I think this is ridiculous! Things we post on our websites should not be used against us at school nor in court. Where are we supposed to express ourselves if not on our personal pages?