Online social networks such as Thefacebook.com offer an
increasingly popular method for students to reach out to others in
a large and often faceless campus population, making the Internet
world an even smaller place.
Online networking allows students to post pictures of themselves
and to provide contact information such as phone numbers and e-mail
addresses. It also lets them message each other directly through
the Web site.
Thefacebook.com is an online network for college students at
over 30 schools. Since it added UCLA last month, Thefacebook.com
has generated about 3,500 registered UCLA users.
Although students may only view the profiles of those at the
same university, that limitation is eliminated once any student is
added and confirmed as a “friend.”
All students are also encouraged to contact those at different
colleges with whom they may have lost touch since high school.
“When making the Web site, we wanted to create something
cool and fun where one could find others interested in the same
things and provide useful information,” said Chris Hughes,
one of the site’s founders.
UCLA’s very own
bruinwalk.com is planning to add a similar online function in a
couple weeks.
The social network added to bruinwalk.com would be comparable to
Thefacebook.com in that it would be “a social networking
tool” that would allow students to connect both socially and
academically, said Arvli Ward, Student Media director.
Though there are similarities, services that Thefacebook.com
lacks are going to be implemented in bruinwalk.com’s program,
Ward added.
Student Media is looking to develop an online networking
function that is catered for UCLA as part of its efforts to improve
service to students.
“There’s heavy demand, and there isn’t a
university entity providing it,” Ward said.
Such online networking directories are attractive to UCLA
students because they provide a way for students to meet others,
said Kaitlyn Lim, a second-year political science and geography
student.
“It’s lots of fun, and I like how they create a link
for your interests so that you can find other people that
way,” Lim said.
By connecting with others of varying backgrounds, students are
able to create new bonds with others who they normally
wouldn’t have spoken to.
Each of the online networking services is not only a system for
meeting people to socialize, but also serve a scholarly function
for finding other students in one’s courses.
“It is very beneficial to the students,” Lim said.
“If you go to MyUCLA, you can see all your classmates. With
this, it’ll be even easier to contact people.”
Some students voiced concern about online services taking up too
great a part of people’s lives.
“It’s a good idea provided that people don’t
overdo it,” said Eva Poon, a first-year undeclared student.
“I’ve heard of people who spend all their time online
instead of going out and doing things.”
Online networking may take away opportunities to interact with
people in real life, Poon added.
“There’s such a thing as too much of a good
thing,” Poon said. “You can meet them online if
you’re really afraid of meeting new people, but people need
to develop face-to-face skills too.”
Online networking also prevents people from knowing the true
identity of those with whom they interact.
The lack of face-to-face interaction allows people to create an
online personality different from one’s day-to-day self, said
Rachel Tellez, a fifth-year communication studies student.
In addition to using online networks to meet others and forge
new friendships, one could also join school organizations and other
extracurricular activities, Tellez said.
Even in the face of the limiting aspects of online networking,
Hughes emphasized one of the main reasons he helped to create
Thefacebook.com.
“We just want people to have fun with it,” Hughes
said.