Diversity College
Founded 1865
Erin Kelley
Brian Koslowski
Emily Nemeth
Leighanne Regan
studentaffairs.com virtual case study competition 2006
Overview of Facebook
 Launched in February 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, a sophomore
at Harvard.
 Free, online profiling service for students.
 Undergraduate, graduate, staff and faculty with a university
email address have access to Facebook.
 Students can request that their institution be added to the
facebook.com website. Facebook needs no administrative
approval to add the institution.
 Facebook is sponsored by outside companies who advertise on
the website.
 Students can set up privacy settings to determine who can
view their profile. Note: Few students use this setting.
 Students can post a wide variety of personal information
about lifestyle, hobbies, contact information and pictures.
Quick Facebook Facts
 15,000 accounts are created everyday
 9.4 million unique users log-on on every month
 Nearly 3/4 of Facebook users sign on at least once every 24
hours
 Average user signs on 6 times a day
 Used by over 1500 colleges and universities across the United
States
 Nation wide Facebook tallies 250 million hits a day and ranks
9th overall in Internet traffic
 Zuckerberg paid 85 dollars per month to rent the server
initially to keep the site running
Facebook Survey at Diversity
College
An initial survey of 60 student leaders was done to
determine the impact of Facebook on their
campus.
Demographics:
 27 men and 33 women were surveyed
 22 seniors, 17 juniors, and 21 sophomores
 56 of the student leaders had a Facebook profile
 All but 19 identified the United States as their
country of origin
Findings
Why students choose to participate in Facebook…
 To keep in touch with friends across campus, old friends from
high school, and those friends on other college campuses
 Meet new people and find others with similar interests
 Learn people’s names
 Look at pictures
 See what people are involved in on campus
 Find birthdays
 Develop residence hall communities
 To stalk people
 Created profile due to peer pressure
 Make a large school seem small
 Quicker and easier way to communicate with friends and
classmates
Findings continued…
What are some risks students identified…
 Privacy violations
 Stalking/harassment
 Posting inappropriate photos/information
 Creating a false identity
 Identity theft
 Addictive
 Hate crimes
 Source of procrastination
Reasons for Developing a Tutorial for
First Year Students

Students usually use more than one profiling site
to post information (e.g. myspace.com,
livejournal.com, AIM.)
 Associated risks with posting personal
information online like stalking, harassment, and
identity theft.
 Frequency of use, potentially leading to Internet
addiction.
 Diversity College students admitted using
Facebook as a means of procrastination.
Tutorial Structure


1)
2)
3)
New students will take the online tutorial
during the New Students Orientation.
The tutorial is broken down into three
areas:
Initial Risk Assessment Questionnaire
Internet Issues Exploration Section
Online Safety Exam
Student Instructions for Tutorial
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Take initial risk assessment quiz.
Review assessment results.
Read exploration topics sections before
continuing to Internet exam.
Complete Internet exam. Note: You must get
eight out of the ten questions correct to pass
the exam.
Complete evaluation emailed to you after you
have completed the exam.
You will now begin the Tutorial!
Diversity College
SAMPLE Part One Risk Assessment Questionnaire
When you are online, how likely are you to do each of the following?
1. Stay up past 2am Internet surfing.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



2. Spend over two hours a day on the Internet doing nonacademic related work.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



3. Your logon password is one simple word.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



Diversity College
SAMPLE Risk Assessment Questionnaire continued…
4. Read the privacy policy for every website I sign up to use.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



5. Run frequent virus checks on my computer.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely

Extremely likely


6. Safeguard myself against cyberstalking.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



7. Used an online gambling website in the past month.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



Diversity College
SAMPLE Risk Assessment Questionnaire continued…
8. Entered Internet contests operated by unfamiliar companies.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



9. Responded to unsolicited emails.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



10. Accept friend requests from unfamiliar people through online profiling websites
such as facebook.com.
Not at all likely


Moderately likely
Extremely likely



Diversity College
Your risk assessment results
5
4.5
4
3.5
Internet Safety
3
Internet Addiction
2.5
Identity Theft
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1
Diversity College
Part Two Internet Issues to Explore
 Internet Safety
 Internet Addictions
 Identity Theft
Privacy
Many individuals believe their profile and registration
information will stay solely in the hands of Facebook
employees. On the contrary, the Facebook privacy policy states,
“We may share your information with third parties, including
responsible companies with which we have a relationship.” In
addition, if Facebook were to ever sell the company, they would
also sell all users’ information. Facebook also reserves the right
to “supplement” your profile with other information. The
website states, “We use the information about you that we have
collected from other sources to supplement your profile unless
you specify in your privacy settings that you do not want this to
be done.” Description of “other sources” is not provided.
http://www.facebook.com/policy.php
Privacy
It is important to keep in mind that online companies often
promise consumers their information will remain private
unless otherwise directed by the user; however, this promise
has been dishonored in the past. Toysmart, a company that
promised privacy to its users, was permitted to sell its users’
personal information despite objections of 39 state attorneys
general.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb166/is_200203/ai_n5786010
Privacy
In 2002, it was reported that 62 percent of female Internet users
and 20 percent of male internet users were victims of some form
of cyberstalking. Some types of cyberstalking include: direct
threats, hacking, following the victim from site to site, building
websites targeting the victim, posing as the victim and attacking
others, and contacting victim’s family or employer. By posting
personal information such as home address, phone number,
school address or spring break plans, students increase their risk
of becoming victims of cyberstalking.
http://www.wiredsafety.org/resources/powerpoint/cyberstalking_study.ppt
Tips for Your Privacy
 Delete cookies weekly
 Only provide necessary registration
information
 Don’t post your contact information if possible
 Make sure to log off public computers
 Read the privacy statement of the website or
company
 If you are confused about the policy statement,
contact the company
Online Stalking
The average age range of college students is 18-22 years
which leads some to believe that these are the only
individuals who can use Facebook. Students find security
in the fact that they are only interacting with other “college
age” students. The reality, though, is Facebook permits
anyone with an .edu address to use their services which
would include students, college professors and staff, and
alumni. As of 2002 the oldest living “worker” is a professor
who is 102 while the youngest student recorded in 2005
was 10 years of age. Both individuals have an .edu
account showing that a wide age group has access to
Facebook.
http://www.messiah.edu/news/2002/MC-081-02.html
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-06/28/content_455203.htm
Online Stalking
Facebook does acknowledge that it does not want anyone
under the age of 13 using its services; however, the
organization has no direct way of tracking this information.
If the underage user is discovered, their account will be
terminated. Cyberstalking is a real and serious danger
considering how much information you can post on
Facebook as a student. Currently, you are permitted to post
your phone number, address, photograph, birthday,
hometown, spring break plans and other personal
information that could lead a stalker directly to your home,
your school or your spring break location. Cyberstalking
has been minor and extreme in nature ranging from a
threatening email to murder.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Online Stalking
 Don't respond to flaming (provocation online).
 Choose a genderless screen name.
 Don't flirt online, unless you're prepared for the consequences. This is just like real life.
Yes, you have the right to flirt and you have the right to a sexy nickname, however the
more obvious you are, the more likely you are to arouse unwanted attention from
unwanted suitors.
 Save offending messages and report them to your service provider.
 If someone makes threats in a chat room or on a message board, notify the moderator
or Web site operator right away.
 Don’t confront the stalker/harasser, this only arouses more anger or emotional attacks.
 Don't give out any personal information about yourself or anyone else link to private
surfing info.
 Get out of a situation online that has become hostile, log off or surf elsewhere.
 Google yourself to make sure no personal information is posted by others about you.
http://www.wiredsafety.org/cyberstalking_harassment/csh10.html
Free Speech
Facebook reserves the right to review the information you post and remove or
delete it from your Facebook account. Facebook is permitted to decide what
information qualifies as defamatory, offensive or illegal and will use the information
against you if necessary in a civil suit. You can be sued for defamatory information
which is any false or misleading about another individual or organization.
Individual colleges also reserve the right to take action against students who post
inappropriate information on the Facebook accounts. At Fisher College, a
sophomore was expelled “for his online critique of a campus police officer”
Students at Northern Kentucky University were charged with code violations when
a keg was seen in a residence hall room picture online. In an extreme case, a
University of Oklahoma student was visited by the Secret Service because of
assassination references in comments regarding President Bush.
http://www.facebook.com/terms.php
Ebbinghouse, C. (1997). Taming the wicked, wicked net: Acceptable use and the internet. Searcher,
5(7), 1070-4795.
Schweitzer, S., Globe Staff. (October, 2005). Fisher college expels student over website entries
Bugeja, M. (1/23/06) Facing the Facebook. Chronicle of Higher Education
Ibid.
Free Speech
Are these examples violations of the First
Amendment? Facebook and other companies
enforce these policies despite the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling against the 1996 Communications
Decency Act (CDA), which outlawed "indecent"
communications online. In other words, the Court
recognizes the Internet as a free speech zone, thus
protecting it by the First Amendment.
http://www.aclu.org/privacy/speech/index.html
Tips to Protect Your Free Speech
 Know your rights!
 Before clicking “yes” and accepting your registration, make sure you
have the Internet site’s terms of use.
 Be familiar with your school’s policy regarding Internet postings and
your school’s code of student conduct.
 Be smart with what you post online because it’s public information!
Your Facebook account is accessible not only to your peers, but also
employers, parents and school and law enforcement officials.
 Make sure others are not using your screen name to post defamatory,
illegal or offensive information. If you think this is happening, contact
the website immediately. You may also contact school authorities.
Identity Theft
 The common definition of identity theft is the stealing of a
victim’s personal information to commit crimes such as
making fraudulent charges on a credit card. 10 million
people per year are victims of identity theft, and often it is
at the hands of someone they know. College is a high-risk
environment for identity theft, because of ready Internet
access, the barrage of credit applications students receive,
downloading of music and videos, and student loan
information.
O'Neill, B. & Xiao, J.J. (2004) Consumer practices to reduce identity theft risk: An
exploratory study. Consumer Interests Annual, 50, p. 125-127.
Tips to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft
 Read the privacy statements on websites that ask for your personal information to see
who will be viewing it.
 Take yourself off the pre-approved for credit pipeline by calling the hotline run by the
three major credit bureaus at 888-567-8688.
 Check your credit report for any unusual activity. Six states have mandated that free
credit reports be made available to consumers, and in other states it costs only about nine
dollars. You can check this by calling the three major credit bureaus: Equifax (800-6851111), Experian (888-397-3742) and TransUnion (800-88-4213).
 Shred “pre-approved for credit” envelopes and other items that have your identity on it.
 Protect your privacy and computer by purchasing antivirus, firewall and antispyware
software.
 Visit the website created by the Department of Education on identity theft at
www.ed.gov/misused.
Marbaix, J.R. (2004). Lessons in Privacy. U.S. News & World Report, 137( 7), p. 74-75.
Internet Addiction
College students are considered to be at high-risk for
problems because of ready access to the Internet and
flexible time schedules. While Internet Addiction is not
yet recognized by the American Psychiatric Association’s
criteria book the DSM-IV, many researchers believe that
addiction to the Internet does share similar symptoms with
substance abuse such as tolerance, withdrawal, craving and
negative life consequences. While Internet addiction in the
1990s was believed to be most common in young males,
today’s research has found that it can affect a wide range of
people. Usually, high Internet use is associated with
emotional loneliness.
Griffiths, M., Miller, H., Gillespie, T., & Sparrow, P. (1999) Internet usage and internet
addiction in students and its implications for learning. Journal of Computer Assisted
Learning, 15, p. 85-90.
Indicators of Internet Addiction
Loss of sleep due to use
Not meeting obligations at
school, work or in personal
relationships
Not being able to manage
internet time well
Walter, E. (1999). Idaho professors study internet junkies. Community College Week, 11(12), p.
16.
Ways to Assess Your Internet Use
 Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (think about previous online activity or
anticipate next online session)?
 Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time to achieve
satisfaction?
 Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet
use?
 Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop
Internet use?
 Do you stay online longer than originally intended?
 Have you jeopardized or risked the loss of a significant relationship, job, educational or
career opportunity because of the Internet?
 Have you lied to family members, therapists, or others to conceal the extent of
involvement with the Internet?
 Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric
mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, and depression)?
Young, K.S. (2004) Internet Addiction: A New Clinical Phenomenon and Its
Consequences. American Behavioral Scientist, 48, p. 402-415.
Part Three Internet Exam
1) How many people are victims of identity theft a year:
a. 1 million
b. 5 million
c. 10 million
d. 50 million
2) What are three indicators of Internet Addiction?
a. Loss of sleep, not meeting obligations at school, work or in personal
relationships, not being able to manage internet time well
b. Loss of sleep, online-compulsive disorder, not being able to manage
internet time well.
c. Pulmonary emboli, work or in personal relationships, not being able
to manage internet time well.
d. Alcohol abuse, dancing, loss of sleep
Internet Exam
3) What is an example of a strong password?
a. L5d7#
b. Destiny
c. Fido
d. [Your] name
4) Where can you report cyber crime?
a. DC5
b. DSM-IV
c. APA
d. a.
IC3
5) Which one of these answers will NOT help you to check your credit report?
a. TransUnion
b. ExportCredit
c.Equifax
d. Experian
6) The estimated age range of people permitted to use college Facebook is:
a. 10-102
b. 18-22
c. 17-26
d. 15-57
Internet Exam
7) Facebook is permitted to share my profile information with:
a. No one
b. My family and friends
c. Any one at my school
d. Any third party with which Facebook has a relationship
8) What are three ways to avoid cyberstalking?
a. Don’t give out any personal information about yourself, e.g. phone
number, address, spring break plans.
b. Save messages that appear threatening and offensive and give them to
campus authorities/security.
c. Google yourself to make sure no one is posting information about you
online.
d. Ignore messages that appear threatening and offensive because they will
most likely go away.
Internet Exam
9) In 2002, it was reported that this percentage of women and men were
victims of cyberstalking:
a. 62:20 respectively
b. 23:5 respectively
c. 56:45 respectively
d. 27:45 respectively
10) Free speech is your First Amendment right, but there are limitations to this
right when you are surfing Facebook. The following 3 postings can be
removed by Facebook employees:
a. Offensive information
b. Self-defaming comments
c. Illegal information
d. Defamatory comments about others
END OF TUTORIAL
Assessment of Tutorial



Online self-response survey will be sent to
all students after the online exam.
Ten small focus groups comprised of 8-10
first year students will occur in September
2006.
Respondents will be entered into a raffle
for gift certificates to the campus
bookstore.
Purpose of content and questions

To give first year college students a broad understanding
of the issues and risks associated with internet use.
 A wide range of literature was reviewed to view the
students as both internet consumers and participants in
a new collegial community.
 The students are required to critically assess their
internet use at the beginning of the tutorial so that
students can reflect on their own internet behavior
through the exploration section and exam.
 At the end of the tutorial section, a short exam is given
and students get eight out of ten questions correct in
order to pass the exam. These questions were chosen
to demonstrate the severity of internet risks while at the
same time informing them of prevention strategies.
Implications for Faculty
 Many faculty are forming Facebook groups such
as, “Faculty Members Desperately Trying To
Relate To their Students Through Technology
(FMDTTRTTSTT)” to understand the format of
Facebook and the exchanges between students.
These faculty have posted their office hours,
course load, and email addresses. These
professors also respond to students’ comments
that are posted on their “wall.”
 Students can develop a greater rapport with their
professors by having a common space outside of
the classroom and faculty office hours.
 Faculty can also use Facebook to learn about
students who are in their class—i.e. large lecture
classes.
Implications for Residence Life Staff





Some Residence Directors (RD) have discussed with their staffs the
consequences of posting illegal, offensive and defamatory comments on
their jobs.
Facebook has been used as a source of visual identification in judicial
matters, e.g. face shot.
RDs have accessed Resident Assistants’ (RA) profiles on Facebook to
collect trivia about them to prepare for an ice breaker at the beginning of RA
training. This exercise led to a discussion around appropriate Facebook
etiquette and role modeling.
Facebook can be used to organize a community list serve, e.g. residence
hall floors and house council staffs. This can be used to match faces to
names more quickly and can be used effectively in posting upcoming events
or meetings. Facebook communities such as these can also be appropriate
resources for contact information.
The University of Massachusetts Amherst has posted the RA job description
on Facebook.com to advertise to Facebook users. Recruitment for the RA
position have been modeled on the homepage for Facebook in order to
appeal to millennial student interest.
What did we learn?




The use of Facebook and other online profiling websites
incorporates many benefits, but also many risk factors
associated with their use.
Technology is still a very new Student Affairs issue, so
more appropriate and best practices must be
determined.
Quantitative studies are extremely limited within the field
of Student Affairs regarding students’ usage of online
profiling and their developmental effects.
Many recent incidents have occurred across the country
in regards to online profiling prompting a necessary
nation wide institutional policy changes and response to
the growing phenomenon.
THANK YOU!
Thank you to studentaffairs.com
for the opportunity to participate in
the 2006 virtual case study
competition!