Social networking is a relatively new phenomenon, but in just over a decade, it has become an integral and indispensable part of our society. The number and type of social networks are constantly changing, but Facebook and Twitter remain two of the most dominant right now. However, they are very different in their design and aims. Facebook is a social network originally designed to help Harvard students connect, but has since evolved into a service "to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected." Twitter bills itself as "a real-time information network" that "connects you ... to what you find interesting." It's unique feature is that Twitter messages, called "tweets," are 140 characters or less (not counting any links you may include.)
As educators, it's important that we be familiar with social networks for any number of reasons, but in my opinion, the most important is that the world of social networks is the world most of our students live and thrive in. To understand our students, we have to understand where they spend their time and what they do there, and increasingly that is on Facebook, Twitter, or any of dozens of other social networks. I could potentially see creating a "professional" Facebook account specifically for interacting with your students, so that if they did want to "friend" or "follow" you, they could do so. I would also advise locking down the privacy settings on your "personal" account; potentially embarrassing photographs and tweets on social networks have already cost teachers and staff their careers. Basically, I wouldn't recommend ever connecting to your students through a "personal" social network account; it's safer and easier to simply have a secondary "professional" account for interacting with students and parents. Also, I could see using Facebook "fan pages" as a potential classroom resource. For example, I could have a group or fan page for "Mr. Davis' Math Classes," which could have copies of all the course documents, and could also update students on projects, assignments, etc.
If you want to connect with other education professionals, however, I would not recommend doing it through Facebook or Twitter (unless you are actual friends or acquaintances in real life). Use a professional networking site like LinkedIn for this purpose; this also gives you a place to point potential employers if they should ask for your social networking presence. Also, be aware that you should never be required to give your Facebook or Twitter account and password for a job interview - if the interviewer tells you it is an absolute requirement, then politely decline and thank them for the interview. This practice is not only bordering on illegal, it tells you that the educational culture at that school is inherently distrustful of its staff, which is not a conducive teaching or learning environment.
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