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Have you ever been asked where you live? Sure you have, but what did you say? Most likely, you probably gave your address and maybe a subdivision name. But have you ever said the name of a website? Highly unlikely; however, everyday more and more people create a virtual home for themselves online. These homes are built on websites like myspace.com and facebook.com, which are hosts for virtual communities. Even though myspace and facebook were created for communication, they are being used by recruiting agents as well.
When recruiting agents hold interviews they ask simple questions: Do you work well with others? How were your grades in high school? Legally, though, they cannot ask what they really want to know. Recruiting officers want to know if someone is an alcoholic, a drug addict, or a participant in any other scandalous behaviors. So how do recruiters find out this information? Recruiting agents are using myspace and facebook to perform “background checks” on perspective employees. When they look on the websites they look for pictures, comments, friends, and even family that may have a role in immoral behavior. It seems unfair to check family and friends because one is related to them, but they, too, could be the influencer of bad habits. Employers are having recruiters look at online communities so that they guarantee a trustworthy person gets the job.
Employers are not the only people attracted to internet communities. In fact, numerous people flock to the sites to find friends and companions. Websites like myspace.com and facebook.com are similar to online dating except for one thing: they are free! These websites allow anyone and everyone, within reason, to join the network. They even provide tools to meet people that one may have common interests with. These tools let anyone search a specific word and then it finds every person who has that term in his profile. This genius concept helps the online communities grow to...