Facebook encompasses many functions used in a variety of ways: a procrastinator’s paradise, a form of asynchronous communication, a stalker’s guide to the Internet, a self-publishing tool, a way to find like-minded individuals, another medium for creating drama, a way of keeping in touch, an age-old friend finder, an event planner and a way to check people’s sexual orientations. Just like every other tool, these functions can prove incredibly useful, or very detrimental.

It’s fantastic to find old friends on Facebook. Just this last week I was “friended” by three friends from when I lived in Poland for six months during my eighth-grade year. I had lost touch with most of them by my sophomore year of high school due to changes in e-mail addresses. Likewise, I’ve been able to keep in touch with several of my friends back home via Facebook. And, when I go home on breaks, Facebook’s event profiles make it very easy for me to arrange for a group of us to get back together for a picnic. In addition, I’ve been able to better get to know a few RPI alumni that live far away that I’ve met once or twice at alumni events.

On the other hand, Facebook can become the source of much procrastination and drama. I watch my 12-year-old sister use applications like Top Friends to pick out who she likes and doesn’t like in her friends list. The notes feature seems to be a mash-up of Xanga’s whining and MySpace’s annoying bulletins. The number of people who are unsure if they’re actually in a relationship with the person they’ve been on dates with because they’ve yet to change their Facebook to read “In a relationship” never ceases to amaze me.

Facebook also can create the illusion of privacy. Under Facebook’s default privacy settings, anyone listed in the same network as you can access your profile, photos, and notes. Some networks, such as work and college networks, require use of a company or college specific e-mail address, but high school and city networks don’t require such identification. This makes it very easy for people to register in the same network as you and view your profile. Be careful about what you post on the Internet, while it might be great to reunite with friends, or make new ones, check your privacy settings on Facebook first.

Amy Wieliczka writes for The Polytechnic, the student newspaper at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.