Social networking Rule No. 1: Don't be stupid

It's been said before, but recent incidents suggest it bears repeating: The profiles that online social network users maintain can -- and often do -- have ways of coming around and biting them in real life when too much info is shared. Personal details that may seem humorous to the person posting them might appear careless -- or offensive -- to someone else, and it can be a disaster when that person has power over your job.

It has never been easier to get in trouble while catching up with friends.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace are great ways to reconnect with old acquaintances and meet new ones. But posts can be problems -- the work rant you didn't expect the boss to see or the photos your old roommate posted that document your familiarity with keg stands.

Recent Examples

In the past week:
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg, N.C., Schools suspended an elementary school teacher who wrote on her Facebook page that she was teaching "in the most ghetto school in Charlotte." Four others were disciplined for postings that included sexually provocative photos of female teachers and a black male teacher listing as an activity "Chillin with my n-as!!!"
• In Durham, N.C., two police officers were the subject of an internal investigation after derogatory remarks about President-elect Barack Obama were posted on their MySpace pages.
• A backup center on the University of Texas football team apologized for his "terrible decision" to post a racially offensive text message he received about Obama's victory as a status update on his Facebook page. The post by the player, Buck Burnette, suggested that hunters "gather up," because a black man would be occupying the White House. Burnette was dismissed from the team.

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