With the rapidly increasing popularity of online social networks like MySpace, Friendster and FaceBook, along with the recent trouble that some college students and others have gotten into for their online communications on some of these sites, it is time to stop and review some excellent tips for protecting your privacy and keeping your online “paper trail” to a minimum.

The North Lake Tahoe Bonanza has published an in-depth article for doing just that.

From the article -

Let’s take a minute to talk about online safety. The Internet is a great place to chat, do research, and have fun. Despite all its usefulness though, it does have its “dark” side. Knowing what and what not to do online can save you a lot of grief!

You can read the entire article at Safety Tips For Using Online Social Networks

Some colleges and universities are disciplining students for improper postings and activities on the popular FaceBook social network directory that is popular with high school and university students. United Press International is reporting that Fisher College in Boston, Massachusetts expelled two students, after they allegedly conspired to get a university police officer in trouble in a sexual-assault setup that was discussed online with their FaceBook accounts.

The article reports that -

At the University of Missouri-Columbia a new task force is addressing potential problems that may arise from student’s involvement with Facebook. “We want to educate the students that the information they post is not private,” said Donell Young, coordinator of student life and judicial coordinator at UM. The proactive initiative hopes to help students avoid future problems with either disciplinary or potential employment problems. If administrators are alerted to serious claims in violation of university policy on the site, Young explained they will not hesitate to investigate.

You can read the entire article on UPI at Facebook connecting more than students.

The Pacific News Service is reporting on a story of a California teenager who posted his suicide note on the popular social network site MySpace. The MySpace posting encouraged readers to contact the local police and gave the address and location of where his body could be found.

The online suicide notice was read and commented on by millions of MySpace users, showing the power of these popular social network sites to reach a large number of people quickly.

You can read the full article at Teenager Posts Suicide Note on Myspace.com.

Although the FaceBook site was just launched in 2004, it is already ranked (as of today) at 105 among all internet sites on the Alexa index of web sites.

FaceBook is a social network site for college students; high school students; alumni; faculty and staff to network and keep in touch with other people who have ties to the same school or university. Registration is simple and free. To find out more about FaceBook, you can visit their site at FaceBook.