My Space Controversy

MySpace seems to always be in the news for one controversy or another. It's because some people post things on their profile sites that they probably shouldn't. You know, women posting nude pictures of themselves, men posting shots of their drunken nights etc...No employer wants to find his worker is embarrassing the company that way. And sometimes a spouse, over family member of friend can be traumatized by what is posted. I think many a job resume' that is a winner has been ruined by the prospective employer finding "inappropriate listings on web sites the candidate uses.
Well, there are many more examples of that. But the idea is that people treat their MySpace page as a private activity, even though it is a public venue. It's not smart to do that. No, I do not have a page there and won't even let Jane use that site. It's a great for adults to have fun but maybe some of the adults who incriminate themselves with compromising photos or text might be better served by lightening their approach when listing themselves.. One example of how an even innocent MySpace picture can cause the MySpace users trouble happened to Stacy Snyder, a 27 year old woman from Pennsylvania. Stacey has been told that, despite completing course requirements for it, she will not be getting her teaching degree from Millersville University, all because one of her MySpace photos was "inappropriate" by the school. Stacey earned credit for her English degree and then learned that her photo at MySpace, which bore the caption "Drunken Pirate" was "a promotion for underage drinking", according to the Millarsville Dean of Education.
In fact, the photo was innocuous (and she has removed it from the site). It was taken at a Halloween party and showed Stacey wearing a pirate hat while drinking from a "Mr. Goodbar" cup. That's it! Too, after the school objected Stacey told it she was sorry about the offense and immediately removed the picture. Yet, the school has decided to disqualify her from receiving the degree. It is obvious to me that Millarsvile is in the legal wrong for denying her free speech on a site that is unaffiliated with the school, and for reneging on the school promise to give a students a degree once academic requirements have been completed. I doubt the school would win in court, and Stacey has great cause to sue it for damaging her future career as well as her reputation.
Does a University student have the right to place legal pictures on his or her MySpace web page site? Of course (I am helping you with the answer...). Surely Stacey will eventually get her diploma, and someone will hire her as an English teacher.
It's just another reminder that what we post on a web site is never really private, and that anyone or any institution that dislikes what it sees can cause the user more trouble than the posting is worth.
Uh...with all the stupidity I have written to you all this time in my Email, maybe I could be in trouble too.