Dating (or not) so publicly

It's hard to break up quietly when you're a social networker. Suddenly all the world can see someone's no longer in one's Top 8! The Greensboro [N.C.] News & Record went in-depth this week on how social networking is changing social behavior. For example, social networkers now "categorize their romantic status via a drop-down menu. In addition to standards such as 'single' or 'in a relationship,' Facebook added an 'it's complicated' option a few months ago, and MySpace users can choose 'swinger.' Think you're in a committed relationship? Check Facebook to be sure. Changing your status from 'single' to 'in a relationship' is such a big deal that the process has spawned its own term - Facebook Official." The romantic status so many aspire to! As for the backdrop to all this – the impact of Web 2.0, the public record it basically provides on all of us, and its impact on US society – check out "Price of virtual living: Patience, privacy," a special report at CNN.