I have a message for all students: Think before you post! Whether it is an e-mail, your IM buddies, Facebook.com, a Web log or even D2L, think before you post. Sure, you are sitting in your own room, at your computer, and perhaps on your personal Web site. While it may seem like your comments are private and will only be seen by you and your buddies, that is not necessarily true. Once you post a comment, it is out there for all to see. Remember, your readers may have various personal agendas, and some will be happy to use what you post for their own purposes. This could be to your disadvantage.

Several things prompt me to offer this warning. First, is the recent incident involving the club lacrosse team. No doubt the student who made the postings in this situation figured that no one but the lacrosse team would see or care about them. This student and the entire lacrosse team discovered a very different reality.

Second, I recall a posting made by a former student on my class discussion board. It described a personal example of an economic decision using cost-benefit analysis. Unfortunately, the example involved him/her violating the law. It was typical "boy was I stupid," behavior, and in the end, no harm was done. Nevertheless, it was a violation of the law, and this posting provided both an admission of guilt and documentation. As good as it was as an example, it was probably not something to be put on an electronic forum. In other words, think before you post.

Third, is a recent development in Marquette's Dental School. It appears that one of the top students there is on the verge of being expelled for postings he made on his personal blog. These included a number of derogatory remarks about some of his experiences in the Dental School. The remarks are being viewed as unprofessional behavior. The issue is being finessed through carefully crafted use of the suspension process. But the bottom line is the same. He is effectively being driven from the school because of blog postings that he obviously assumed only his friends would see. Ironically, he probably would have been better off making the comments on a more public university-sanctioned forum such as Dogears.

So, use all these wonderful new communication tools. Many good things can be accomplished with them. But remember, there may be people out there with an agenda, and they will not hesitate to use what you post against you. This was pretty clearly the case with the lacrosse team and may be the case with the dental student. My former student was more fortunate, but need not have been.

When you use these tools, keep this in mind: Whatever you post can potentially be seen by anyone — friend, foe or stranger. Do not give ammunition to your foes, or rely on either the kindness of strangers or platitudes like "cura personalis." Rely on yourself, and think before you post.