"According to a preview of unpublished research on the online activities of higher education institutions, a significant percentage of colleges and universities sometimes dig into would-be undergraduates’ social-networking profiles." -Scott J. Crech, Online Profiles a Factor in College Admissions, Education Week Online
As students become more comfortable with creating and sharing online content, colleges and prospective employers are beginning to utilize this information for assessment and decision-making.
Young adults who have been taught the essentials of responsible digital citizenship and cyber safety will take care to only post appropriate text, photos, audio, and video clips. This remains the prudent course to follow when constructing an online persona.
But such a deliberate orchestration might exclude one key element: passion.
Vinnie Vrotney's latest posting explains the reasons why blogging is an important means to explore and share personal passions.
"We blog so that we can share and allow others the chance to know who we are, what we are passionate about, and what we think. We build up the currency of thoughts and ideas which is becoming more valuable in this information age that we are living. We are establishing our portfolio to share with the world."
Colleges and businesses must look deeper than Facebook or MySpace to discover and evaluate an applicant's passion for an activity, an avocation, or a cause. And young people should recognize blogging as an opportunity to establish themselves as a unique presence in the world.
The contributing staff of Students 2.0 understands the joy and passion of blogging. Surely their individual and collaborative blogs will serve as impressive selling points in their educational and professional futures. Other students would be well advised to follow their lead.
"What is passion? It is surely the becoming of a person. Are we not, for most of our lives, marking time? Most of our being is at rest, unlived. In passion, the body and the spirit seek expression outside of self." -John Boorman
"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark." -Henri Frederic Amiel
"Laptop desks in the computer science building" by maebmij
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