When most students log on to social networking websites like Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, or Xanga, they probably aren't thinking much about their future scholarship or college admissions chances. But should they be?
Anecdotal evidence suggests that growing numbers of scholarship providers and college admission offices may consider a student's online posts and persona as a factor in making their decisions. Admissions officers at Portland's Reed College, for instance, reportedly rejected one recent applicant (who likely would have received financial aid grants) due to disparaging and provocative comments he made about the school in an online blog.
Such trends can also be found in the workplace: According to a University of Dayton study based on interviews with 5,000 employers, four out of 10 employers would consider a job applicant's online profile when hiring. Your kids probably want a job later, right?
Complicating the issue is the fact that personal information posted online may be more permanent than most students believe. Even if a student were to take down content, the information could still be accessible via other bloggers who referenced the post, friends who commented on it, or search engines that cached the page.
To ensure that your kids don't have to deal with such issues—and to prevent an ill-advised online post from costing you some needed scholarship or grant money—it is important to thoughtfully consider the information that you or your children make public. As you do this, keep in mind these six tips.
Mark it private
Most social networking sites allow your kids to mark their online profiles as private. By doing this, only your child's immediate circle of "friends" will be able to view their page. It also may be wise to tell your kids to tread cautiously when adding new friends that they don't personally know.
Think "evening news"
Before your kids post any photos or text, suggest that they ask themselves this: Would I want this featured on the evening news? Because of the ubiquity of online search engines, an online post is like a broadcast to the world.
Scan friends' pages
Photos of your kids and text about your kids that are posted by their friends can also be problematic. Once this content is "tagged" with a person's name, it often can be found just as easily as if the person posted it himself. Your kids shouldn't be afraid to tactfully ask their friends to take down potentially worrisome material.
Show good judgment
When pursuing future school and career opportunities, decision-makers will need a way to contact them. They should avoid e-mail addresses like "wildpartydude@gmail.com" and e-mail signature lines of questionable taste.
"Google" me
Because the use of Google has become so commonplace, your kids should get in the habit of typing their own names into the search engine on a periodic basis. In Internet terms, any information that appears on the first few pages of results is like a huge online billboard—especially if they have an uncommon first or last name.
Project a positive brand
Advertisers aren't the only ones who should be concerned about brand building. All of us either support or detract from our own personal brand based on quick first impressions. Instead of posting information online that your kids would be embarrassed to show to potential scholarship providers or college admissions officers, why not feature information that actually might bolster their candidacy?
To do this, they could maintain a separate account on social networking sites that is specifically designed to enhance their personal brand and influence key decision makers who may look them up. Let their personality shine on the page—it doesn't need to be a stuffy online résumé—but in a way that is consistent with the positive character qualities they hope to communicate.
Of course, all of this is easier said than done. If your kids don't want you telling them what they can or can't post online, then you might want to show them this article. It might be just enough to make them think twice.
Known as "America's Scholarship Coach," Ben Kaplan is publisher of the www.CityofCollegeDreams.org website and the winner of two dozen college scholarships worth $90,000. For more details on this topic, visit his Scholarships information page.
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