Parents on Facebook

Some parents were fairly early adopters of Facebook, but lately, the facebook thing for parents has really taken off.

Maybe it’s because my dad friended me on facebook, my ex’s mom de-friended me on facebook, or maybe it’s that I’ve been hearing the same thing from many of my friends…

But what do you do when Mom or Dad asks to be your friend? The Washington Post says that many college students just choose to ignore these requests and join “No parents on facebook” groups.

While reading this article on “Facebook for Parents” via a New York Times Parenting blog, I came across some interesting information… that Stanford University has even created a free CLASS for parents on the subject.

The creation of BJ Fogg, Director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford and co-editor of “The Psychology of Facebook”, the free, four-part course was filled within hours of being announced last month. The classes will be hands-on, and the goals are to help parents navigate the site, create their own page, learn about threats and safety and examine ways that Facebook can teach kids life lessons and social skills. (via NYT)

Fogg includes the “5 Step Plan” for parents on facebook:

1. Join Facebook

2. Friend your kids (Alana comment: now, this of course, means that your kids actually accept you as their friend on facebook)

3. Review your kid’s profile pages — “Go to the profile pages for your kids and review the content. At first, you’ll see the “Wall.” But don’t stop there. Click on the tabs for “Info” and “Photos” to see more.”

4. Review who is “friends” with your kids

5.  Select “More About”.

The class teaches not only facebook basics (creating a profile & navigating) but also strategy, and how to “stay ahead” of your kids on facebook.

Everyone should be aware of their online presence... but keep in mind that you DO have full control over who sees what on Facebook (photos, your wall, certain information) so if you’re concerned, pay attention to the security options.