The New York Times has a story today about how employers are using MySpace and Facebook to learn about students who are applying for positions. This is not new news, but the NYT piece does bring it more to the forefront with specific examples (good text to use with students).

Given the national attention this is receiving, this is just further evidence that writing teachers must consider more carefully the issues involving social networking software, students, and the teaching of writing. For instance,

• In past conversations, there have been well-meaning teachers on TechRhet who have argued that these communities are/should be student spaces, that we should not be reading and participating in these sites. These examples indicated that we should be invading these spaces so that students do become aware that anyone can (and do) see how they are constructing their online persona.
• There are plenty of things disturbing about the banning of MySpace by K-12 and other institutions, but most of all I fear this will encourage students to see these sites as a place to rebel, increasing the likelihood that students will act inappropriately for those who will be searching for them online.
• I don't see how we can any longer avoid the importance of teaching students to write publicly on the Internet.