THE PROS, AND CONS, OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Elizabeth Jewel wanted to take her 3[sup]1/[sub]2-year-old sonswimming but didn't know an ideal place for someone his age.

So when a friend posted something on Facebook about going to the"Frog Pond," Jewel messaged her to find out what that was. That'show she discovered Montgomery County's extremely child-friendly poolon Cinnabar Drive in Christiansburg.

"I've lived here 15 years and never heard about that park," the Blacksburg resident said. "I ended up taking my son there ... and hejust had the absolute best time."

Jewel set up a Facebook account a year and half ago and relies onit heavily to stay in touch with friends and family. She alsonetworks online with other parents in the region who share ideas forchild-friendly activities.

Across the country an ever-growing segment of parents isembracing social media as Jewel has.

A few years ago, when the sites Facebook and MySpace startedgetting a lot of attention, many parents viewed them withdiscomfort. Here was this unfamiliar universe populated by teenagers-- and maybe people looking to prey on them.

Safety experts urged parents to learn about social media and setup accounts so that we could monitor our children's onlineactivities and keep them safe. We weren't encouraged to become bigusers of these sites ourselves, but for many of us, that is justwhat happened.

A recent report from BabyCenter.com says the number of motherswho regularly use social media has nearly quintupled since 2006, andmore mothers are now active in social media than are not.

BabyCenter also found that mothers are using social media for awhole lot more than keeping tabs on their kids. Some 44 percent ofthe mothers it surveyed use social media for word-of-mouthrecommendations. And according to the report, mothers mostly use"mass-reach" networks such as Facebook or MySpace for socializingand entertainment.

One reason that more parents are on social networks now isobvious. People who were in high school or college when thenetworks debuted and were active on them then still use them afterhaving kids.

But lots of older people -- my parents, for example -- now haveaccounts. I live several states away from them, and Facebook hasbeen a wonderful way to share photos and updates on what my wife, mysons and I are doing.

So far my personal experience on Facebook has been great and sohas that of several parents whom I've talked to about the site. ButI do wonder, sometimes, if there are dangers in all this sharing ofinformation.

Most warnings I've read about social media highlight boneheadedmoves like posting that you hate your job, uploading pictures froma keg party, or confirming friend requests from sketchy folks you'venever met in person.

But are there less-obvious risks we parents should know about?

Anne Collier is co-director of connectsafely.org. Her Web site'ssocial media tips for parents focus on what children should orshouldn't be allowed to do.

But Collier said, "It's very important that while we need to bealert to how much children are sharing online, parents need to beequally aware about what they're sharing about their children."

Even though it is extremely rare for a stranger to abduct achild, she said, parents should be wary of sharing personal detailsabout themselves or their children too broadly, since someone withbad intent could use that information to gain a child's trust. Andthe same smart rules for children, such as not accepting friendrequests from just anyone who asks, also apply to parents, Colliersaid.

Another Facebook mistake that might not put kids at risk, butcould strain some friendships, is posting ad nauseam about childrenor, even worse, sharing material people really don't appreciate,such as updates on junior's bodily functions.

That sounds obvious, but I guess it isn't, judging from the hall-of-shame-worthy posts at stfuparents.tumblr.com. That blog -- whichby its very nature includes PG-13 material, be warned -- publishesanonymously submitted screen captures from Facebook. Its author, whoalso stays anonymous, said submissions have increased dramaticallyeach month since she launched the site in March.

"I think of Facebook and the Internet like a hangout in a TVshow, like Al's Diner on 'Happy Days,' " she said. "It's somewherepeople go to hang out with friends. We don't necessarily need tohear about your baby's dirty diaper when we're hanging out at thehangout joint."

Raboteau is a former Roanoke Times writer who works for VirginiaTech and lives in Blacksburg. You can e-mail him atajraboteau@gmail.com.