Do you know your "friends"?

I cannot believe it has been two and a half years since my first exposure to the ultimate addiction and primary tool of procrastination used by countless college students across the country known as Facebook.com. Not too long after I found Myspace.com and the rest is history...or is it?

All joking put aside I do think there actually is somewhat of a serious nature in regard to these mega-social networking sites which many students fail to take note of.

PRIVACY.

While I'll admit I have failed to be as safe as I could have been in my use of the sites; I have recently become much more aware of the dangers associated with the nature of content posted on your own and others profiles and who you are apparently becoming "friends" with.

A recent story from FoxNews.com titled "Myspace Stars: Is Your Celebrity 'Friend' a Famous Fake" by Hollie McKay addresses the false nature of so-called "celebrity profiles" on Myspace.com, and their implications on the privacy and reputation of both the celebrity and the Myspace.com users associated with their network.

I think this is just another reminder that you can never be too safe when posting information about yourself and allowing others to gain access to it its content on the Web. Even when privacy settings are applied to your profile you never really know who is sitting at the other end of the connection gaining access to your life; and becoming "friends" with other users such as celebrities or that guy who looks hot in a thumbnail-size picture only opens yourself up to a host of potential predators.

So be smart, be safe and protect yourself and your personal information because privacy is precious and once you give it up it's hard to get back.