This article was co-written by Michelle Bollman, News Editor, and Jessica Wright, Life Editor.

Dr. Carolyn Dirksen usually starts her day by logging into the widely popular social networking site, Facebook.

“I had five Facebook messages when I opened my e-mail this morning,” Dirksen said. “That is fairly typical and those were messages that I probably wouldn’t have received without Facebook.”

Dirksen, the vice president for academic affairs, signed up for Facebook several years ago, primarily to maintain contact with alumni.

“I had a message from a former student who is now teaching in Japan,” Dirksen shared. “It was great to hear from her and I could even see pictures of where she is now. That’s something you can’t do with traditional e-mail and it would be so much effort and expense to use snail mail.”

These days, social networking is nothing new; it has become a normality of life.

One of the original uses for the popular site was for students enrolled or entering college to be able to get to know students and professors already on campus. The name, Facebook, alludes to a printed “facebook” often handed out to new students just getting familiar with a college campus.

The unique Web site, launched at the beginning of 2004, allows users to join a variety of networks based on school, city, region or workplace.

Advantages of Facebook
The site is referred to as a “social utility” and goes above and beyond to live up to its name. It first took over the college scene in 2004 and quickly spread to high school, but it did not stop there. As of September 2006, Facebook became available to anyone over the age of 13.

The advantages of the site come in the form of quick communication. Through Facebook, people of a wide spectrum of ages are able to connect, keep in touch and stay informed on what is going on in the lives of those near or far.

Facebook has even become a conduit of communication between professors and students.

“Many students write on my wall and even more send private messages. I respond to these just as quickly as my regular e-mail and I probably enjoy it just a little bit more!” said Dr. Megan Moe-Lunger, assistant professor of communication.

Through Facebook not only can users keep up with friends from high school, college friends, family and professors, but they can also upload multimedia and access the pictures and videos that their friends post. Facebook even recently put up a chat feature which allows users to talk directly to each other, much like AOL’s Instant Messenger. All these things combined result in a quick, easy form of communication for users.

“Personally speaking, I love Facebook because of its convenience…I always use it to keep in touch with friends from the past,” said Dr. Alan McClung, dean of students.

While Facebook is easy to use and has much to offer to those who sign up for the service, there is some debate about the pros and cons of it.

Disadvantages of Facebook
As with most social Web sites, privacy is one of the main issues that comes up in debate. In recent months, more and more users are falling prey to phishing and hacking, and while the site developers try to keep users aware of what’s going on and how to maneuver these problems, it can be difficult to avoid.

Because Facebook has places not only for personal information to be posted but also enables users to leave comments on other users “walls”, it can be dangerous if an account is open to someone other than the account holder.

Another issue users face is the loss of face-to-face contact. One of the pros of Facebook is easy navigation, speed and convenience. However, its strengths can also work as its weaknesses.

“My feeling is that I would rather spend my energy meeting those I can face-to-face for a purpose,” said Dr. Chris Coulter, associate professor of English.

Users must also keep in mind that even information they personally post is available to be seen by anyone who navigates to their page.

“…Sometimes it can be a case of ‘[too much information]‘ where I am learning things about my students that I did not want to know,” said Dr. Mark Burnette, assistant professor of drama.

The evolution of Facebook is taking users to new places in which they have to decide what they feel comfortable with and what they will not do through Facebook.

How students interact with professors
Many students admit that they have welcomed their teachers with open arms into the Facebook family and gladly befriended them.

“I like being friends with faculty members because it makes me feel like they are trying to relate to students more,” junior Melody Bolinger said.

Students mentioned that adding the extra dimension of personality by means of a Facebook profile allows students to relate to their professors and maintain contact when not taking their classes.

“It’s interesting reading their profiles and looking at their favorite books, TV shows, music, etc.,” senior Savana Williams said. “To me, it does make them a bit more approachable and more human.”

All students have a different way of handling professors on Facebook. Some find professors to befriend them, some actually communicate with professors on the site and some merely have them as friends in case they might need them.

“Usually, I have to add them, but that’s no problem,” freshman Matt Smith said. “They have lots of students and it would be a pain for one professor to have to hunt down 100 students, rather than have 100 students find one professor.”

“I usually send the requests to faculty,” sophomore Daniel Welker, said. “Yes, I do talk to them every once in a while, at least the ones who are online often.”

Some students are more skeptical about adding professors to their friend’s list.

“If I find a professor on Facebook that I’ve had personal interaction with, I usually add them,” junior Shaun Sneed said. “I do on occasion speak to them on Facebook and I intend to use it as a tool to stay connected with them when I’m not in Cleveland anymore.”

Students have come to embrace the new communication link between them and their professors. Though students may have been wary about the idea at first, they now are able to expand the communication outside of the classroom.

“It’s also amusing to have a few Facebook-based inside jokes to talk about later,” Smith said.

“Facebook is a great networking tool and the fact that teachers take the time to interact with their students online shows a great testament to their desire to become more than just faculty to us,” Sneed said. “They reach out to become our friends and mentors and that is beyond commendation.”

How professors communicate with students
Convenience is a main factor in faculty members signing up for Facebook.

“If I really need to get in touch with someone quickly, Facebook is the best choice,” Moe-Lunger said.

Facebook has added more appeal in contacting students and alumni because most young adults check and update Facebook more regularly than an e-mail account.

“I wanted to invite some former students to be on a panel in my class,” Dirksen said. “So I found them on Facebook and sent the messages. They all responded within a few hours. It would have taken much longer for me to have found a way to contact them otherwise.”

Facebook is said to be bridging the gap between faculty/student communication on many levels.

“I think Facebook is a great way for university staff to stay in touch with students,” said Phil Cook, assistant vice president for enrollment. “I communicate with alums, prospective students and current students though Facebook, but I would say most interaction is with current students.”

Though professors are jumping on the bandwagon, for others it crosses too many boundaries.

“[Facebook] works out as a way to stay in touch with some students,” said Dr. Amy White, assistant professor of English. “But I do prefer to talk to current students through Lee e-mail.”

“Students have enough trouble knowing how to write an appropriate e-mail to a faculty member,” said Dr. Kevin Brown, assistant professor of English. “Facebook simply exacerbates the problem.”

Among professors, the aspect of being in-the-know comes into play when befriending students.

“I learn all kinds of things about them through their pages: where they are from, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, who their friends are, and even how they feel about themselves,” said Dr. Robert Fisher, professor of psychology. “I’ve frequently heard about my students getting new jobs, engaged, married and even hospitalized first through Facebook.”

While the debate about the good and bad of Facebook goes on, faculty/student communication continues to be a rising trend.

According to Moe-Lunger, research shows that people believe they have stronger relationships with those they know in both real and virtual worlds.

“I know all of my students in the real world. Facebook helps me to know them online as well. It’s my experience that I do have stronger relationships with students I communicate with in both worlds,” she said.