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Old Cage

From MSNBC:

"Student-athletes in colleges around the country also are finding out they can no longer maintain privacy in Facebook communications because schools are requiring them to "friend" a coach or compliance officer, giving that person access to their “friends-only” posts. Schools are also turning to social media monitoring companies with names like UDilligence and Varsity Monitor for software packages that automate the task. The programs offer a "reputation scoreboard" to coaches and send "threat level" warnings about individual athletes to compliance officers."

Can Twitter be far behind?
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MikeUMA · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2012 11:28 pm Post subject:

If they'll do it for Facebook, I don't see why they wouldn't for Twitter. But this seems to me like a slippery slope, and not too far down the hill would be getting access to the student-athlete's e-mail account. They're all electronic communication vehicles.

lane one · Junior Joined: 17 Aug 2003 Posts: 674

The big difference is that email is in general a private one-on-one communication. Facebook and twitter are intended to be public broadcasts. You both give up and get alot by being a varsity athlete. I am ok with athletes giving up facebook privacy.

Now that facebook is keeping more history available, the more interesting slippery slope is whether these services might be used during the recruiting process, so your stupid HS maneuvers get looked at.

At some point, kids need to understand that the best way to keep their privacy is to keep private things private in the first place. Its not a bad lesson for professional life.

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:05 am Post subject:

^

And if they choose to keep their FB or Twitter stuff private, then what? Not everyone who uses those services intends for the world to watch them.
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lane one · Junior Joined: 17 Aug 2003 Posts: 674

Maybe I am paranoid, but I don't think a private setting on facebook is as private as some people think it is. Facebook owns everything you put up, and friends don't always act like friends. If facebook were around at the time, do you think Marcus Camby would have friended his SOB pre-agent? Its good practice to assume everything you type on the internet might see widespread distribution and be attributed to you.

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2012 9:55 am Post subject:

But that is up to FB. If I go on there are make myself undiscoverable, then you, as another member or as someone who isn't a member, would not be able to find me. Only the people I'm connected with would be able to see me and interact with me. Yes, FB owns whatever info I put up there, but that is different than what we are talking about here, in my opinion.
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Stop waiting for UMass to do something big and help UMass do something big. - Shades