Thought this was an interesting statement, made by a current Harvard undergraduate regarding content on The Facebook:

"You can't be responsible for what you're saying at all times in your life."

If this isn't a future President of the United States speaking, I'll eat my hat.

(For those of you unclear on The Facebook: back in the day, most schools put out a facebook, where they printed a picture of yourself that you sent them and listed where you were from and your interests, usually deep things like "people" and "travel." The Facebook is a website which more or less does the same thing on a nation-wide basis, giving students the ability to post a variety of information, which sometimes gets the student in trouble.)

I will say that I agree with this student to the extent that, as what's posted there can be ephemeral, it may not truly represent who the student is. However, I do not agree that I shouldn't hold someone responsible for what they put in print. If you bother to put something on-line in your name, it's yours, even if you were joking. Problem is that, in cyberspace, no one can hear you be sarcastic.

The student was also concerned about university officials using the site for informational purposes, which I'd counter with the idea that if you don't want to get pinched for doing something, it's probably in your best interest not to post pictures or a blow-by-blow account where anyone who knows about the site or Google or something can get at it.