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Diana Bosch 10/02/2007 06:03:20

  • Hear The Story
  • Part I: WDBO Introduces You To Facebook
  • POLL: Do You Use Facebook?

    Log onto Facebook.com and you're bound to see just about anything about the people you know.

    "I get to know about all the kids now and I get to see what they're accomplishments what they're doing."

    Marife Gomez has a daughter who goes to Florida State University. She found out about Facebook while listening to her daughter talk to her friends. Signing onto Facebook, she found some surprises on her daughter's page.

    "Some of the pictures were too graphic, but that's what college is about."

    Keg stands and girls in scantily clad clothing are just some of the things you'll see online. Facebook has turned into an online photo album filled with pictures of fun nights out.

    "Because you see kids drinking, doesn't mean they're bad kids, they're just having fun, my daughter isn't one of those that drinks everyday."

    But when does the fun end? Timothy Brown, a professor at the University of Central Florida who does research on social networking sites says people are more likely to post and say things online they wouldn't normally do in person.

    "The minute the face to face or even the voice interaction gets involved people become less adventurous."

    As Facebook continues to grow, so has its audience. who are the newest users? Virtually anyone from employers to the police.

    "I think people forget that it is the world wide web, that it is around the entire world, if you want to find something you can."

    On Facebook, you can be reunited with your friends and make some new ones, but sometimes that may not be the best thing.

    "People that I've never met before, never seen, never want to see will poke me out of nowhere."

    Getting poked by a stranger could lead to a dangerous situation and that's why Sgt. Kevin Stenger with the Orange County Sheriff's Office says people with Facebook profiles need to be careful about what they post.

    "Anyone can set up an email account for whatever reason they want."

    Facebook allows users to personalize their profile page with information including where you work, your telephone number and where you live. Sgt. Stenger says those areas should be left blank.

    "They already have your name, address and phone number, one more piece of information and they can go to town with it."

    Identity theft and cyberstalking are crimes you can run into using the site. Sgt. Stenger says law enforcement are using the pages during investigations and they've actually proven successful.

    "People have actually posted pictures of the gun they've used during the robbery."

    If you have a Facebook page, remember Facebook like the internet is open to anyone in the world. it's a small piece of information you should keep in mind when updating your page that makes a big difference.

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