I joined Facebook because I’m always online and a lot of my friends (IRL and online) kept talking about pics and stuff they had posted. I dragged my feet for about 2 years - then made one and was hardly ever on it - then suddenly I was on it a lot more than I remembered.
When my 20th HS reunion came around - I was getting friend requests right and left from people logging on to reconnect. It was great. Several of them weren’t able to make the reunion - but were able to see the pics and catch up on everyone anyway.
I’ve even connected to old co-workers that way, and now my nieces and nephews have found me as well.
As a result, I’m very, very careful about what I post on Facebook.
I post pictures of trips I’ve taken and events with friends, but you won’t see me drunk or in my newest negligee. . . (well, at least not there).
I will admit, however, that along with having several “younger” friends on FB, I do have one of my high school friend’s mom on my FL, and that’s kind of creepy. But then again, she used to hang around us in high school too - whether we really wanted her to or not. So in reality, nothing has changed.
I got on Facebook when I was a grad student at Harvard. At the time, it was only for Harvard students, which seemed a little elitist… I pretty much had my circle of friends in my grad program, and didn’t know that many Harvard undergrads. As soon as it went “public” it became incredibly useful. Keeping up with old friends is incredibly easy, and I made a habit of only adding people I know IRL (I’m not a Facebook friendwhore with thousands of friends).
I add students as friends if they request it. I don’t seek them out. I teach grad students and work on some projects with undergrad students, so they’re all adults… I don’t worry about them posting pictures drinking or anything like that. My page is quite benign, just pictures of me and my kiddo.
I think it’s neat that young folks want to connect to the adult role models in their lives… to date I haven’t been shocked or appalled by what my students post.
