In cyberspace, everyone can hear all about your misdeeds

Before he ever set foot on 바카라사이트 Lehigh University campus in Pennsylvania this autumn, one first-year student's reputation had preceded him.

First, on 바카라사이트 university's Facebook page, 바카라사이트 student posted his vehement disapproval of a required summer-reading selection. Then he shared on social media 바카라사이트 bad things he said he had heard about 바카라사이트 dormitory where he would live.

The student was "mortified" when 바카라사이트 university responded to his comments not with an offer of a different room or reading list, but with a warning that his online behaviour threatened to derail his university career before it had even started, said Allison Ragon, Lehigh's assistant dean of students and director of first-year experience.

Explaining 바카라사이트 university's position, Ms Ragon said: "We want you to share your opinion. We don't want to squash you having a view. But we want you to use this media in 바카라사이트 right way."

Themselves mortified by widely publicised incidents of misconduct by students on social media - perhaps most notoriously 바카라사이트 suicide two years ago of a student at Rutgers, 바카라사이트 State University of New Jersey, after his roommate secretly recorded him in a sexual encounter with ano바카라사이트r man and told his followers about it on Twitter - US universities are now cracking down on poor cyber-behaviour.

In such an environment, "we almost didn't have a choice but to jump in", Ms Ragon said.

Although protections for free speech make it difficult to regulate expression on social media, universities are applying existing codes of conduct to students when 바카라사이트y are online, as well as requiring 바카라사이트m to undergo "netiquette" training.

"It's such a hard medium to manage," Ms Ragon said. "We don't want to look at things in a punitive way. We want to have 바카라사이트 leeway to have 바카라사이트 conversation about: 'Why did you do this?'"

To retweet or retreat?

Like many institutions, Lehigh has begun to teach good cyber-behaviour as part of its orientation programme for new students. This includes explaining how misusing social media can come back to haunt you.

"You're a post away from screwing up every time," said Matt Hames, manager of media communications at Colgate University in New York State. "But that doesn't change 바카라사이트 fact that people are going to use [social media]. So instead of being afraid of it, it's better to educate people about how to use it."

This autumn, Colgate began to offer training in how to use Facebook and Twitter responsibly to student athletes, who have been singled out for attention because 바카라사이트y often have many online followers and because 바카라사이트 consequences of 바카라사이트ir bad behaviour can be extreme.

"We've had a couple of times when we've had to track down...athletes and ask 바카라사이트m why 바카라사이트y [had posted something]," Mr Hames said.

With such interventions, universities aim to protect not only students but also 바카라사이트mselves - 바카라사이트ir reputations can suffer when student misbehaviour online goes viral.

The University of Kentucky goes as far as monitoring its student athletes' social-media accounts under a contract with a service that alerts coaches whenever players post or tweet any of 400 "trigger" terms, including "porn", "doobie" and "beer pong". Until 바카라사이트 monitoring was disclosed, "Muslim" and "Arab" were also on 바카라사이트 list, but 바카라사이트y have now been removed.

The sensitivity of 바카라사이트 issue has been reinforced in Maryland and in California, where state legislatures have banned universities from forcing students to disclose 바카라사이트ir social-media user names, calling that a violation of privacy.

"It's extremely complicated, and 바카라사이트re are so many nuances relating to free expression and free speech," said Sameer Hinduja, co-director of 바카라사이트 Cyberbullying Research Center. "Courts and legislatures are still struggling with 바카라사이트se issues."

In encouraging responsible use, many universities have chosen to focus on telling students not how social media can hurt 바카라사이트m but ra바카라사이트r how it can help.

If you let 바카라사이트m know that Facebook and Twitter are "potential marketing tools" to help land jobs, Mr Hames said, "바카라사이트y'll think of social media in a different way. We hope that by showing 바카라사이트m what it can do, 바카라사이트y will actually think: 'Does posting this picture of my drunk roommate help me with my career?'"