Facebook Faux Pas

Doug Johnson links to some articles about how adults need some serious help deciding what to post on social networking sites. We spend a lot of energy discussing the use of Web 2.0 in schools and how important it is to instruct teenagers to use it ethically and responsibly. We all know that people will inevitably make poor decisions. Do not consider me an elitist when I say that sometimes people are just dumb. Social networking blunders could, arguably, fall into the "situation unknown" category simply because the technology comes at us so quickly. Yes, as we learn from others' mistakes in using these sites we need to be developing sets of instructions and "how-to" processes for our young people. However, basic thinking skills should be enough to guide anyone in their use of any new technology. This is, in my mind, more important than any specific Web 2.0 skill.