Colleges Banning/Monitoring Tweets

[Screwball]

Some of the kids going to or already in college are putting tweets out there that are not the best, both from standards of decency and leaking college sports "news."

Geez: Nowadays coaches have to also monitor team tweets!

I also recommend prospects DO NOT put embarrassing tweets on their accounts because potential coaches are watching. Personally, if I were a college coach, I would bench a player whose tweets do not honor the school and the team she plays for.

Schools of course, don't like leaks of potentially embarrassing news (coaches or players leaving, violations, etc). A friend of mine found out a player was leaving a local D1 from a tweet. I assume there are rules on when you can announce such things. Are there?


The Dim Cowardice of Banning College Athletes from Twitter | The Big Lead

http://www.sportsagentblog.com/2011...lity-of-a-university-to-prepare-its-athletes/

 

[Amy in AZ.]

The professional types that I tweet with, for instance, some of the TN. girls, aren't putting any secrets out there. I enjoy hearing about their flights being delayed for the 3rd time, that day. Or they can't find the Starbucks in Orlando. (I helped with that.) Most of the women are out of college, but it is so easy to contact someone like Finch and ask a simple question and get an answer.

I would tell the girls that I have friended them and are monitoring tweets. I mean, you can't manage every aspect of their lives. You can't keep them from text messaging and keep someone else from posting the leak. I see no negative posts from the top girls. They are very supportive of each other and post pics of their dogs, their tattoos, or their nephews.

If you tell someone not to, they are just going to find a way around it and do it behind your back.

 

[StacieM]

Really - you basically just need to use common sense. If it's not something you would go announcing in front of a ton of people then it's not something you should be saying on the internet!

Then again, there a lots of adults using social media that don't understand that concept. No surprise that kids/young adults don't.

My kids are not really on social media sites yet, but I constantly tell them that the internet is a public place. If it's not something you would do in real life, it's not something you should be doing online either! Very simple.

If there are things you don't want people finding out, don't tell everyone about it in real life or on the internet. No matter where it is you're making choices and conducting yourself, ALWAYS do so with integrity and with how you want yourself to be known or seen because whether in real life or online, you NEVER KNOW who's watching!

I remind my kids that how they act in public (including online) is out there to be seen. It's not invasion of privacy or unfair if coaches or others see what the way you act and talk online and "judge" you based upon that. Those were actions YOU chose to take in a public arena. It says something about who you are.

Why is this so difficult for people to understand?

I'm sure colleges have guidelines about player conduct in public situations, what they do online falls under that category. I distinctly remember our coaches talking to us about conduct in public. There should be consequences if you act inappropriately.