Photo Illustration by Hannah Pedraza / Photo Editor

Facebook.  Like some digital diseases it’s managed to infiltrate most of the general public, college campuses for sure, and at a surprisingly rapid pace.

OK, so the story’s been told before and it’s been heard a million times over the past couple years.  Everyone’s on Facebook.  Everyone’s addicted to Facebook.  Facebook is the greatest/worst invention ever.  Facebook this, Facebook that.

I’m sure countless of articles about the benefits and detriments that surround the networking site have already been written, so here’s another one, but with a slight twist.

I personally have a huge, border-line obsessive, unrequited love/hate relationship with Facebook.

I love that it keeps me connected to everyone I’ve possibly ever known.  But I hate that on a regular basis I check the site probably at least five times before lunch.

Alright, that’d be lying, I check it far more often than that, but that’s only because I have certain notifications sent to my cell phone.  Don’t judge me just yet, I’m sure I’m not the only one who does such a thing.

Unlike a lot of other people out there, though, I’ve tried to make sure that everything I post on the site is always in good taste, can’t get me into trouble or won’t start unnecessary drama.

Sure features on the site can be regulated by each user, but nothing can really be done about what a friend decides to make public.

Case in point, this one time a friend of mine proudly announced to the Facebook community that her stomach was upset and she was having excessive bowel movements.

I don’t know about other people, but that crossed my idea of the TMI (too much information) line.

Alright, the point of status updates is to: keep family and friends up to date on everyday occurrences/accomplishments, post interesting and informative links/videos/pictures and to generally state how a person is feeling.  I get it, really.

But where is the “line of appropriateness” drawn?  Should there be a code of Facebook etiquette we follow…should there have to be?

If I were to ever write a book about how a person should conduct themselves on Facebook, I would definitely make it a point to forbid posting status updates less than 10 minutes apart.

It really isn’t necessary to inform your entire friends list the step-by-step process of your dinner consumption, or to constantly remind them of your dating mishaps with passive-aggressive comments dripping with ambiguity.

I also find it extremely irritating when people post every single picture from their memory card into a new album.  It’s sort of like “Hello! Pick one good one to show off…not 50 of the same shot!”

I think people tend to forget that when they post something in the heat of the moment, they are not just targeting a certain audience.  Anyone on their friends list has access to these inner most thoughts.

Imagine, posting something about a superior at work and having a coworker see it.  This brings me to another point: befriending people for the sake of having more friends.

Don’t get me wrong. Facebook is great for networking, but should personal and professional friends be kept separate?

I think for the sake of avoiding any professional conflict, it would be best to keep a backup account specifically made for networking purposes.  A profile dedicated solely to work-related accomplishments and future goals could become a sort of online resume.

The biggest problem people face is that because the site is easy to use, people feel the need to constantly take advantage of the features.

Members of the Facebook community should always remember that anything placed on the Web usually leaves a digital carbon footprint.  So be careful what you post, or one day you’ll have to worry about saving face.

CSUN has begun the process of phasing out WebCT as the learning management system used by the school and integrating the use of Moodle.

The shift, according to Director of Academic Technology David Levin, was prompted by the eventual elimination of the WebCT program by the company that owns it, Blackboard.

WebCT is a tool for online learning. It’s utilized in about 200 courses, including face to face courses. Faculty use the learning management system for online support, quizzes and other applications.

“We have been using an older version of WebCT,” Levin said. “We had to make the decision to change systems after Blackboard bought WebCT and made the decision to phase it out.”

After the decision to change systems was made, Levin said a pilot of different systems was conducted last spring and Moodle was chosen.

“The best quote I got back from a student was the feeling that Moodle was WebCT meets Facebook. Moodle has more social networking, more student involvement in learning and more blogs and wikis,” Levin said.

Moodle is an open source system, and according to Levin, is not owned by anyone. According to the Moodle’s Web site, “It is a free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites.”

For Moodle to work, the management system must be installed on a home computer or for use here at CSUN on the school’s server. WebCT on the other hand, has to be purchased for use by the school.

Junior and biology major Vanessa Mosi describes Moodle as a “more advanced WebCT” and said she prefers Moodle to the former learning system. She said that she began using the system in biology classes in spring 2009.

Levin said that so far the shift has been fairly successful and more faculty have already made the move than was anticipated. Currently, he said there are 150 courses using Moodle for the fall 2009 semester.

“The feedback from faculty has been positive. They said it’s easier to use and more intuitive,” Levin said.

Mosi said, “So far I like it. It’s cool how you can upload your pics and see the rest of your classmate’s profiles. And you can also include what you like to do. It’s a good way of getting to know people in your class. There are group discussions and a lot of other things that makes it great.”

According to Levin, a company was contracted to help CSUN in its transition.

“There were some problems with slowness due to the updating of the system. These issues will soon be resolved. We are increasing our capacity,” Levin said.

He added that right now they are training faculty in using the system and expect that by summer 2010 the shift to Moodle will be complete.

However, some students are unaware what Moodle is and whether this is the right time for the campus to make any technological changes.

“What is a Moodle? I’ve never heard of that before,” said third-year psychology major Darrius Harper who still uses WebCT in his classes. He said he was unaware of the shift and wondered why it was necessary.

“Why are they doing this now? Doesn’t it cost money to shift systems? I just feel that our school should be focused on other things and this could wait,” he said.

Are young people losing interest in facebook?

I was astounded today when I learned what Snuggies and ShamWow’s are. It took me awhile but I finally looked into them.

I can believe the credibility behind the ShamWow, which recently won a “As Seen On TV ” contest on CNBC.com, by being voted #2 in the best Household/ Automotive section and beating the Snuggie in round 2. Now the Shamwow is up against the #1 George Foreman grill in the Kitchen/Food section. About 10,400 people have voted to place these two items in these top ranking positions. The final votes are still being collected here.

But, to me the Snuggie is questionable. I agree with Jay Leno when he said, “Why don’t you put your robe on backwards? That’s all it is.”

Apparently, the Snuggie has sold 4 million since September! That is a large amount considering that we are in a recession. There is also a Snuggie fan page on Facebook with about 6,000 fans.

You would think that people wouldn’t spend their money on Snuggies, I guess commodities are still just as important as necessities.

One comment on the Snuggie’s Facebook fan page written by Lee Witte says, “… When the economy is in the dumps people look for comfort and the Snuggie provides it. LOL.”

Another fan, LeAnne Nielsen wrote, “I think the snuggie should be combined with the ShamWoW, the SnugWoW. That way if you spill on yourself you don’t have to get off the couch.”

What do you think?

ShamWow

Snuggie