Facebook was causing problems for University IT departments long before it was called Facebook. In 2003, Zuckerberg created Am I Hot or Not? application on its site facemash.com and has been accused of “breaching security, violating copyright, and violating individual privacy” (Kaplan, 2003). So it's no surprise that Mitrano, Cornell's director of IT policy and cyber law and policy, seeks to warn the Cornell student body about the possible consequences of irresponsible Facebook use in the article Thoughts on Facebook. What is surprising is that IT policy guidelines are usually found in an actual policy document, rather than in an essay or article. Mitrano attempted to provide guidance on Cornell's IT policy on Facebook's ramifications via Facebook-friendly advice from a credible source. Due to missed opportunities to inform, prevailing concerns about politics, and a lack of knowledge regarding controls within the Facebook application, Mitrano's article was not as persuasive as it should have been. In Thoughts on Facebook, Mitrano's main message to students was to be careful with technology, because information posted on Facebook may be available and used in ways the student did not originally anticipate (2006). Definitely good advice that comes with anecdote after anecdote, example after example. In fact, by the end of the article, students are probably terrified that Geico insurance agents are roaming Facebook looking for evidence to raise their insurance rates, or that their friends are suing them for defamation or slander after they post a bad photo. More likely, because of the unrealistic claim of effect, students filed the information in the bin, assuming that the University simply didn't... middle of paper... this was a one-sided article about the dangers of Facebook and the consequences for students. Furthermore, the author appeared to be out of touch with the functionality of the Facebook application and made several errors that undermined the entire message. In essence, the article was far less persuasive than it should have been due to missed opportunities to inform, prevailing political concerns, and a fundamental lack of credibility. Works Cited Kaplan, K. (2003, November 19). Facemash creator survives bulletin board. Harvard News. Retrieved June 5, 2011, from http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/19/facemash-creator-survives-ad-board-the/Mitrano, T. (2006, April). CIT: Thoughts on Facebook. CIT: Computer Science at Cornell. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from http://www.cit.cornell.edu/policies/socialnetworking/facebook.cfmMitrano, T. (2008). Facebook 2.0. Educause review, 43(2), 2.