With increasing prominence in social media usage, many Ohio University students are worried about how they appear online.
OU’s Office of Information Technology looked to ease students’ worries Tuesday by hosting a panel discussion about managing social media.
There is an increasing need for an event such as the discussion panel after the alleged rape on Court Street, when videos and photos of the event were uploaded to social media sites, said Sean O’Malley, the office’s communications manager.
“Students don’t think ... or care about what they post online,” he said. “Keeping data secure is something everybody should be thinking about.”
Concern about online presence was a main discussion topic during the panel discussion in 240 Baker University Center.
“We get a lot of calls from students and parents who are worried about being online,” said Tom Conley, OU’s senior information security analyst.
About 60 people attended the panel, which was the student-focused segment of the technology department’s sixth annual Security Seminar. In previous years, the student session discussed “Who is watching you online?” This year was the first to encourage more student participation by changing the format to a discussion.
Blaire Mertz, a freshman studying communication studies and disorders, said she does not have a Facebook but uses Twitter a lot. She went to the discussion because she said “it couldn’t hurt” to be more aware.
The panel comprised John Croucher, a technology department analyst, Riley Theurer, a department student employee, O’Malley, Conley and Martha Compton, director of the Office of Community Standards and Student Responsibility.
Suggestions speakers made during the panel included creating a fake birthday to protect against identity theft, limiting posts on social media to things you could tell an innocent stranger, and trying to maintain a professional look and content across all social media profiles.
“You have a right to free speech, but you are held accountable to what you say,” Compton said. “You have to be careful about what you put out there.”
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