Posted by: Meg Canada
This is a concise, well-written essay and should apply to most social software applications. Found via a colleague with whom I share an office cube:
Five things to think about when using Facebook
From Tracy Mitrano, Director of IT Policy and Computer Policy & Law Program, Cornell University, April, 2006
“This essay offers some things to contemplate when using Facebook, all of which can be summed up easily in a “Golden Rule.” Don’t say anything about someone else that you would not want said about yourself. And be gentle with yourself too! What might seem fun or spontaneous at 18, given caching technologies, might prove to be a liability to an on-going sense of your identity over the longer course of history. Have fun and make productive use of these new, exciting technologies, but remember that technology does not absolve one of responsibility. Behind every device, behind every new program, behind every technology is a law, a social norm, a business practice that warrants thoughtful consideration.”