Facebook and My Space offer students wonderful opportunities to begin building virtual communities even before they arrive on campus.  Colleen Downie, House Fellow in the Bradley Learning Community, says “Residents contacted me during the summer when they saw my address listed on Facebook as being in Bradley, and were surprised to find out I was going to be their House Fellow in the fall.”  Incoming students are often able to join virtual communities established for their residence halls and begin talking with people all around the world who will soon be their roommates and neighbors.     

At the same time, profiles on these types of virtual networks can contribute to negative first impressions by students’ roommates and “House” mates.  When establishing a personal profile on these sites, students should be conscientious of the messages they relay about themselves through text and photos. 

Comments that express intolerance towards people different from themselves, disparaging remarks about specific individuals, and photos depicting unbecoming acts often lead to conflicts between students living together and can result in the loss of leadership positions both on and off campus. 

Elizabeth Arata, a senior double-majoring in interior design and English, remarked “anyone with an e-mail address can be on Facebook these days, so companies often look at students’ profiles before offering positions.  If all you have are photos of your drinking, then don’t expect the job.”

Elizabeth also warns that “Facebook has rights to whatever you put in your profile—you need to make sure you reset the privacy clause for your profile to avoid having your contact information given out to other companies.”