Facebooking Franklin
In a world centered on technology, college students share a social networking stage with professors and faculty. Sara Colburn-Alsop, a Spanish professor, said she wasn’t eager to get a Facebook at first. She became interested after talking to people her age.
Colburn-Alsop said she heard it was an easy way to talk to people from all over the country or the world. She said she also heard it was a convenient way to reconnect with old friends.
Robin Roberts, a theater professor, created a Facebook profile as a way to upload pictures of productions. He wanted a place accessible for students to view the photographs. After awhile he started getting added by former students and friends.
John Shafer, director of the Counseling Center, said he learned about Facebook through a colleague as a way to get in touch with college friends. He said he was glad he did.
Since then, he said he can contact high school and college friends.
While some professors on campus have Facebook, they don’t necessarily use it to communicate with students.
Colburn-Alsop said she won’t add students; they have to add her first.
I don’t want them to think I’m stalking them, or like big brother always wanting to know what they are doing,” Colburn-Alsop said.
When it comes to class work, Colburn-Alsop still uses standard e-mail to contact students. She said she doesn’t feel Facebook is professional enough to use to convey class work.
Roberts and Shafer don’t use Facebook to communicate with students either. Roberts uses it as a way to encourage, not for a teaching tool.
When it comes to communication, Colburn-Alsop uses Facebook to keep in touch with current and past friends. Often those friends were reconnected through Facebook. Her favorite thing about Facebook is the ability to reconnect with people. She said she also uses it to communicate with students who have graduated or are studying abroad.
Roberts also said that his favorite thing about Facebook is that it’s a way to stay connected. Hesaid he thinks it’s nice to catch up with old friends, and often uses the message function to communicate. Other than that, he said he doesn’t do “a whole lot. I don’t update my status obsessively.”
Shafer said he uses Facebook to communicate with family members and old and current friends.
“I look on Facebook in the morning to see what’s going on with friends and family members,” he said.
Shafer said he doesn’t use chat but he updates his profile daily. He said he just uses it to keep in touch, like with his fraternity brothers for example. He does; however, use the “Open Stage” application. It lists plays and musicals people have been to, been in or wish to attend.
Shafer said his favorite thing about Facebook is the fact that it’s free and you can keep in touch with others.
The thing Colburn-Alsop said she uses most on Facebook is the message function because of its privacy; although she said she occasionally uses the wall and chat functions. She also uses Facebook to upload photographs.
Roberts said there was one downside to Facebook.
“You see their [old friends’] pictures and think ‘Oh gosh they look so old,’” he said. “Then you realize--I do too,” Roberts said.
