Saturday, May 29, 2010

Team Carnival asks: my view on social networking

This week's topic is pretty interesting: all about my opinions on social networking. And why shouldn't it be interesting? Admit it, you've signed up in at least one.

As for me, I'd admit I have signed up in numerous social networking sites. Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Plurk -- I have them. I could say you can easily find me online (provided you know my real name and/or oft-used username. The main reason I signed up for them was 1) my friends invited me and 2) I thought that it was a good avenue to finding people I have lost contact with through the years, especially that I'm almost always online.

But with the advent of these sites also came certain issues like privacy and identity theft. As of late, Facebook has been in the news about their privacy settings. That's why a lot of people think that social networking sites pose a threat to people's lives, in one way or another.

In my opinion, social networking has its advantages and disadvantages. Sites that promote social networking keeps you in touch with people that matter. But it also may be abused by people. I think, like in everything else, when joining social networking sites, you have to also think about protecting yourself to a certain extent. It's fine to update your status once in a while and let people know how you are and how you feel at that certain moment, but you also have to think of not giving away too much, Besides, that's the purpose of a site's privacy settings.

As for me, I continue to use social networking sites, but I make it a point to draw limits on how people can view my profile and personal information. In that way, I protect myself and get to enjoy the site's benefits more. Remember, social networking may be a two-edged sword, but you can use it to your advantage if you know how to use it properly.

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