Thing #12-Social Networks

Ning gives you the option to allow only selected members or interest groups to join and participate in your social network, which can be a helpful feature. Since it is not quite as public as Facebook and MySpace, I would feel a little more at ease using Ning. However, even after exploring certain social networks I feel a little uncomfortable putting myself out there for the entire world to see (especially with so many vigilant warnings about identity theft, spyware, etc., etc., etc.). I can understand why college students would use social networks to communicate with friends, but I find it difficult to believe that social networks could effectively be used in schools (especially with younger students) as part of their curriculum.