Letter to Editor by Matthew Noe

“Social Network allows UK to monitor users,” has a bit of a big brother feel to it, doesn’t it? It is accurate in that the Big Blue Network, or NetworkBlue, is a social network, and it is true that it is monitored, but in our generation, a headline such as this is likely to create an air of suspicion or fear. It may even cause resistance to use the BBN, which is very counterproductive considering the truth of its use.

There are problems with this line of argument against NetworkBlue; the obvious being that anything and everything put on the Internet is monitored by someone, somewhere. There is no such thing as privacy online, and if the idea of UK watching their own site is worrying, perhaps the Internet is not for you.

Stemming from the same point, is that Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc. all monitor what is posted on their sites — they tell you just that when you sign up and NetworkBlue is no different. Even as obvious as the front page, the site warns against certain behaviors, enforces a code of conduct so to warn students against its use because someone is “monitoring information.”

Perhaps there is a misunderstanding, helping intensify the concern here; NetworkBlue is not meant to be a “second Facebook.” This isn’t the place to post beer pong pictures, skimpy Halloween pictures, etc., but rather a place to have purposeful discussion and a good laugh about a class or with a professor. It is a place to feel more connected as a university than K Week events, classes or the two minute conversations while walking to class. It is a true place online where we can all “See Blue.”

Matthew Noe

Elementary Education junior