There’s a new term being whispered around the water cooler at corporations across America: “dooced.” In simple terms, it means getting fired over something you posted on a Web site. The same concept is fueling the latest trend in college admissions. If you think your blog on myspace.com is nothing but sheer amusement for your friends, think again. Some colleges and universities are now scouring the Web to learn more about prospective students, and many aren’t happy with what they’re finding. In essence, you could get “dooced” by college admissions departments without even knowing it.
According to www.Petersons.com which bills itself as “the K-12 planner” your posts about “underage drinking racy photos or ugly comments about others could potentially convince an admission committee to reconsider their offer of college admission in spite of a great GPA.” And while the site goes on to explain that this isn’t the case for all colleges “there are some institutions that use the Internet to do a little extra ‘checking up’ on their potential students; some students have actually lost their coveted spots due to their online activities.”
Even if you do get into the college of your choice don’t assume you’re in the clear to post anything you want to your blog. Colleges and universities are now doing searches to scan for illegal activity on campus. At Penn State University for example campus police used www.Facebook.com to identify students who were involved in a sports-related incident that injured two police officers. Students who had participated in rushing the field during a football game had formed an “I rushed the field” group on the Web site including their real photos and names. More than 50 students – thinking the site was private – were surprised when they received warnings from campus security.
In another Facebook.com related search a North Carolina college professor used the site to scan profiles in order to determine who he would accept into his class. That seems tame compared to reports from www.WashingtonPost.com that some colleges have expelled students after discovering photos of underage students “for violating codes of conduct” by “posing in front of kegs or writing about drinking binges.”
So what is safe to post on your blog?
• Photos of you and your friends at sporting events concerts or parties – without incriminating evidence (like bottles of beer!)
• Posts about daily life that doesn’t involve details about how you streaked down Main Street at midnight or stole another school’s mascot
• Information about your search for colleges – what you like and don’t like
• General essays stories or poetry that show off your writing skills
• Scans of artwork photography accomplishments or awards
• Photos or information about your volunteer or community activities
When in doubt assume that a college admissions rep is going to find and read your blog. If there’s something on it that might keep you from getting in think twice before posting it. As a general rule of thumb: If it would make your grandma disown you…
