Celebrities will do practically anything to keep their names in the news these days. If their album flops or their movie doesn’t do so well at the box office, they turn to the world of expose’ memoir books, VH1 reality shows, trashy clothing lines, and tweeting multiple times per hour. Some of them even go as far as to reveal some disgusting, shock-worthy story about themselves just to gain a page in the tabloids this week (yes, I’m talking to you, Florence Henderson). Even though they seem to try a little too hard to stay relevant, I’ll be the first to admit that I can’t get enough of these people.

initiating the gallery...

Do you think celebrities share too much about their personal lives, or maybe you think they don’t share quite enough? Who’s your favorite celeb to stalk via Twitter?

I am a big fan of social networking. Huge. Some might call me an addict. Facebook. Twitter. The internet in general. You don’t spend your time blogging, tweeting, and updating all day if you’re not a fan of the internet. But even I have to admit that sometimes being a product of the Facebook generation has its faults.

Just look at what happened to Natalie Munroe, the Central Bucks High School English teacher, who was suspended after posting degrading comments about her students on a personal blog. And now, she’s all over the internet, and not in a good way. Munroe posted the comments over a year ago, but the blog was recently discovered when someone posted it on a Facebook page and eventually one of the parents turned it into the school.

Munroe claims that she never imagined that anyone would actually read what she wrote. But they did. And now she’s one of the biggest stories of the week. The blog has since been taken down. But the quotes and comments still live on. And that’s the most important part to remember, I think, for our generation, at least.

We’re a generation of oversharers (and if you think you’re not, think again). We lack boundaries. People post about everything from their bathroom habits to their sexcapades without giving it a second thought. But what happens when someone reads that comment about your horrible boss and shows it to said horrible boss? Or when you tell your friend you’re home sick and then post pictures of yourself with your boyfriend two hours later? How many times do you update your Facebook a day? Probably more than you realize. We do it without even thinking about it. Everything that happens has to be shared. It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what we do. But now we need to think about how what we do on the internet will affect what we do in real life.

Last year, a recent college grad took the day off from work and told his boss he had a funeral to attend. (I’d link you but Gawker seems to have misplaced their search function.) But later that day he posted pictures of himself at a party. His boss found out, and naturally he was fired. And yes, he shouldn’t have lied to begin with, but had he thought enough not to post the pictures on the internet, he might have been able to avoid losing his job over playing hooky like we’ve all done at least once.

The number of people you have the capability to Facebook stalk? That’s the amount of people that have the capabilities to Facebook stalk you. Even though we post for people to read, we sometimes forget that people read what we post. And not just during that second that we post, but for weeks, months, and years after. What gets posted on the internet stays on the internet. Especially when it isn’t locked. If you have a public blog, you have a public blog, and anyone can read it whenever they want to. And they will read it; both the people you’re sharing it with and the people you never even thought about.

And that’s something that our generation has to learn to recognize as we move forward, out of college and into the workforce.  Social networking is a great tool, and we’re lucky to have been born into a world on the brink of this technology. But our generation as a whole needs to find a way to use these tools to our advantage without ending up in the same situation as Natalie Munroe. Can we curb our virtual word vomit? Lock our tweets? Cut our Facebook friends? Fight the urge to share everything with everyone? And stop blogging about things that can get us fired?

Let’s start a blog post and discuss…

"Spending the day snuggling with my snuggle bunny. Smoochy smooch!"

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like whether sex sells!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

“Jane Doe adores John so much, it’s like fluffy pink bunnies of love are frolicking around inside of her. Wuvs U Baby!” Gag me. Seriously, how many times have you looked on Facebook and seen somebody else getting all schmoopy over their significant other in their status? It’s right up there with Farmville for my top FB pet peeves. My question is, have I become a jaded cynic who can’t appreciate open expression of love, or do other people think these overshares need to be outlawed too?

OK, maybe I’m reacting too strongly – I’ve totally been in that cuddly-baby-animals-feeling phase of relationships and have totally overshared it on Facebook without a second thought. Is it really fair to want to go punch a friend in the face because of the multiple daily updates on how much she misses her BF when he has to go to class? (Sidenote: don’t you wish FB had a “punch” feature similar to the poke? Come on, Mark Z., get on that!) No, probably not. I get why people do it, and it’s their business so I shouldn’t even let it get to me. If I don’t want to see it, just don’t check FB, right (ha! Like that’ll ever happen!). People have the right to put up whatever they want in their statuses and the rest of us should just deal.

Except they’re putting it up online and thus making it my business! I’m not some haggard old spinster bitterly mumbling to myself about cutesy young couples; I’m happy for my friends who are in good relationships, really. I just don’t want to have that schmaltz pop up in my newsfeed 6 times a day! I’m not saying don’t ever put it in your status, but you wouldn’t call your friends up several times a day to tell them how much you love your guy, so why the heck would you make them read about it? I’m just asking for a basic level of courtesy here.

What say you, ladies? Have you been a victim, or are you the guilty party? Are we so over the overshare, or am I freaking out about nothing? Duke it out!

It happens every day.  You log onto Facebook and are confronted with a stream of photos and status updates.  Megan’s going to the mall.  Ben’s fishing with his dad.  Oh, and what’s this?  Chris put his dog in boxers and made it drink beer out of a Frisbee last night.  Here’s hoping he isn’t friends with anyone who works for the ASPCA.

Simply put, people post dumb pictures.  We tend to forget that Facebook is a public place and that often times employers, teachers, and police have access to more things than we think.

If your back-to-campus plan involves drinking, sleeping, hooking up, or any host of questionable activities, here are the pictures you’re better off keeping to yourself:

The Coyote Ugly

The pic of you dancing on the bar the night before you called in sick to your 8 a.m. needs to remain offline. Chances are a TA, professor, or peeved classmate will see it and rat you out.  And really, that’s the least of your problems.  Have you ever seen an actual picture of someone dancing on the bar?  Usually it’s taken from ground level, six inches away from your legs.  This means crotch shots, the underside of your chin(s) and nose, out of proportion ankles that have now become cankles…need I go on?

The Stop, Drop, and Roll

That filthy gutter looks super comfy, no wonder you fell asleep in it while wearing your roommate’s favorite jacket.  She’ll know that “water spot” is really a grease stain from some homeless man’s pizza as soon as she catches a glimpse of you channeling Loca Lohan.  Keeping it off Facebook means keeping roommate relations peaceful.

The “How long can you hold your breath?”

Unless you’re looking for a job as a pearl diver in some third world country, there’s really no reason to show off how long you can go without coming up for air.  The intense PDA pictures need find their way onto your wall of shame, not your Facebook wall.

The Phelps

I’m amazed at how many people think they can get away with posting bong pictures online.  It was posted from your account.  That is your face coming out of a cloud of smoke, no?  And that most definitely is your stupid grin and bloodshot eyes.  So why so surprised when the Office of Student Affairs tries to bust you for having drugs in the dorm?

The Leann Rimes

Does your boyfriend know you were making out with some other dude last night?  Post it on Facebook and he’ll find out soon enough.

The Sam Ronson

Does your boyfriend know you were making out with some other chick last night?  See above.  (Note: May result in relentless threesome propositions.)

Anything involving babies and recreating scenes from The Hangover.

You are not the female Bradley Cooper.  That kid’s name isn’t really Carlos, regardless of how you tag the photo.  Put the baby down and slowly walk away before you’re graduating from the State Pen instead of state college.

There are some unwritten rules of friendship we all know: Thou shalt hold her hair back when she is praying to the porcelain god after a long Friday night. Thou shalt never date her ex-boyfriend, brother or best male friend. Thou shalt never have to watch Say Yes to the Dress alone. Thou shalt risk your life to satisfy the drunken cravings of your BFF.

But that’s where the clear-cut rules end and where the giant friendship gray area begins.

How can you tell if you are in a toxic friendship? Do you know how to tell if your friends are talking about you behind your back? And that friend who always compliments a terrible outfit choice or lets you date jerk after jerk – does she understand that, despite your feelings, honesty is the best policy? That there are certain moments between friends that always require the truth?

And how do you know if you’re the toxic one in the relationship?  Think back to the last fight you had with your boyfriend, your mom, your boss, whoever – did every little detail end up on your newsfeed? Did you give them the ol’ “talk to the hand cuz the face ain’t listening”? Yeah, probably not the best course of action, right?

Friendship is sacred so don’t take advantage of the good friends you’ve got, and definitely don’t give your loyalty out to the girls who don’t deserve it. Pause, evaluate and move forward with your worthy BFFs.

I’m new to writing this column, but I have to admit that I  already adore it. I’ve always loved being able to be open and honest about sex – sharing a bit of opinion and a bit of fact about what makes us tick sexually. But this week I’ve hit a snag. You see, pretty much everyone I know reads this column – my dad (hi dad!), his journalist friends, my family, my friends, and because I post links on my Facebook, there’s the potential for past teachers, my boyfriend’s family and family friends to read it too.

Of course, any kind of exposure is great, and I’m grateful that so many people are interested in reading my work, but then I realize – what am I comfortable with sharing? The short answer is really everything; I’m more than comfortable with my sexual proclivities.  But I keep remembering something my sex-columnist-hero, Dan Savage, has said many-a-time: there are some things that parents, teachers, and family friends have a right not to know.

Then I realized that this isn’t just a problem that plagues sex columnists. Any sexually active person faces the same dilemma – what’s okay and not okay to share? Since my first sexual experiences in high school, I’ve always had the problem of well…over sharing a tad. I guess I just chalked it up to girl talk — don’t best friends always swap stories of their sexual escapades? After all, it’s kinda nice to show off! What’s the fun if it has to be a secret? But I realized pretty quickly that some people just don’t want to know. And that’s okay. Forcing someone to listen to a play-by-play of what happened in bed last night is just as inappropriate as doin’ it with the door open when your roommate is home (I haven’t, Mal.. I swear!).

That being said, when you’re in a committed relationship, it comes down to a mutual respect when it comes to swapping stories. After you’ve been with someone long enough, embarrassing things are bound to happen. When you let someone get that close to you (and I mean, you can’t get any closer than being inside of someone/having someone inside of you), there’s not much you can hide. Being in a relationship gives you a feel of what’s okay and what’s not okay to share. For instance, I don’t mind (in fact, I kind of love it) when my boyfriend tells his friends about the crazy things I “make” him do (yeah right…) or how great something was that we tried. But to the same token, if he were to tell people about really personal things — like the things I say or the sounds I make, I would be not so impressed. But we’ve figured that out and agree that the same “telling” rules go for both of us — and problem solved.

It helps if you look at having a sex life as a kind of privilege. If you treat your partners like pieces of meat or characters on The Real World, chances are they won’t be coming back for more. As much as I like to talk (er, show off… either way), I’d take excellent, stable, private sex over crappy sex I can tell the world about any day.

When it comes to my “work” here, I think in order to do the best job writing Sexy Time as I possibly can, I need to open up and accept any discomfort that comes from the people I know who read it. If you don’t want to know, you don’t have to read. But since I only know my own experiences, it would be a lie to write about anything else. I haven’t gotten any complaints yet – so I’m just going to take it as it comes.

When it really comes down to it, what gets divulged is just about personal preference and your relationship with the person you’re talking about. I’ll admit it – I’ve told some things that really should’ve been kept private. People have done the same to me, and it’s not a good feeling. So the next time you’re sitting in the living room in your sweats with messy hair, talking to your ladies after your sexy buddy leaves the building, you’ve gotta think how you would feel if the situation was reversed.

How do you guys feel? How much is too much to share? Does it change when you’re in a relationship? Tell me what you think!

They dominate your Newsfeed and make you want to hurl something at the screen. Maybe they are anti-funny, maybe they are over-sharers, or maybe they don’t really understand the difference between updating a status and responding to someone else’s (that one’s for you, mom!). Whatever it is, they make your (hourly) Facebooking a nightmare.

Which is why we’re putting them in CollegeCandy’s Facebook Wall of Shame.

Each week we’re going to post the worst of the worst Facebook status updates right here. The updates that make us stare at the screen and ask “WTF?” The updates that make us question how we ever became friends with that person in the first place. You know you’ve got a few eligible Updaters on your Newsfeed, so copy those updates into an email and send them on over to FBWallOfShame@CollegeCandy.com.

Because everyone knows someone who belongs here…

Headache Holly H3 ACT LYK3 H3 KAN’T T3LL M3 WAT W3 GO!N 2 DO SO UMMA JUS DO M3..IAM NOT SAY!NG THAT ! DNT KAR3 N DAT ! DNT WANT 2 B W!T HYM BT IAM NOT GO!N 2 S!T AROUND N KRY L!F3 !S 2 GUD 4 DAT..!TS FUNNY HOW U ALWAYS HAV3 2 LET GO OFTH3 PPL YOU R3ALLY LOV3!!!SN: H3 ST!LL ON MY M!ND DO3!!

Political Penny What percentage of those who voted for Obama are actually aware of the moves he makes in office?

Girl Who Updates 800 Times a Day i know im updating my status alot!!! i have a lot going on up there today! a lot of reflection today….i realize that i let my guard down and i realize that only the strong can survive. yeah i might not live the fairy tale ending, but i will still live happily ever after by taking care of me myself and I-

Neglected Nelly knee is full of water…I Thot thats y i got surgery in the frist place?!?!….. and the one person whoshud care… doesnt

Band Geek Billy Loves horn

Attention-Whore Annie has had enough. Can’t take no more.

Slutty Shannon I found out today that I can fit 3 dicks in my mouth!!!

Unforgiving Uma second chances they don’t ever matter, people never change – once a whore, you’re nothing more, i’m sorry, that’ll never change.

Spoiled Sierra Went through $2700+ in two hours, a personal best.

Upon some recent discussion with my guy friends, I’ve come to realize that we girls may just be a little bit “too close.” I happen to be one of those people blessed with an intimate group of girlfriends, and therefore we talk about everything from the specific color name of our nail polish to the exact millisecond of how long our most recent sack session lasted.

However, upon stepping back a bit and really paying attention to what I was saying, I’ve begun to wonder if there is such thing as too much information sharing. Even if it never gets back to your guy, is it alright to share everything? Below are the key things that, looking back, I’m thinking should just remain between a lady and her man.

How Big He Is…Down There:  It’s something I never really thought about, probably because if anyone wants to know the size of my practically non-existent boobs, they can just look, but guys are ultra-sensitive to what they may or may not have. Well, mostly, what they don’t have. It is totally okay to talk about how big last night’s drunken hook up was, but if your boyfriend is less than well-endowed, you may want to keep that on the DL from your friends…at least until you break up.

The time he cried in front of you: I don’t think it’s any secret that girls cry in front of guys, but when it’s the other way around it probably should be. When your guy finally feels comfortable enough to shed some tears around you, don’t go telling all of your friends how sweet and sensitive it was to see him cry. Help him stay manly in the eyes of your friends and keep some things just between you.

The time he couldn’t get it up: Again, this is just one of those unfortunately embarrassing things that happens to guys when they are a) nervous or b) drunk. While you may want reassurance from your friends that you are gorgeous and that it’s not your fault that this happened, can you imagine how mortified your man already is that he can’t get excited for the naked girl next to him? Just think about how much worse it is when he walks in the room and everybody knows.

Each and every fight you get into: It’s understandable if you and your man have a huge blowout and you need to bitch to someone, but don’t criticize everything he does wrong to your friends. Otherwise, you become too accustomed to trashing him and eventually your friends will only be able to point out his bad qualities to you. Not good.

As a disclaimer, I have talked about all the things above and more, including explaining exactly how long he lasted, read aloud text messages, stalked each and every Facebook photo, and have criticized wardrobe choices. And now I feel awful about it and thank my lucky stars that most guy conversations consist of
“You get head?”
“Yeah.”
“Cool.”
Because I know for sure that I would not want to be talked about the same way that I have discussed these boys in the past.

So tell me: is it alright to tell your best friends your guy’s deep dark secrets?

When I was a freshman I was fortunate to meet my best friends in the world right there in my hall. We were all randomly placed there, but it took no time to realize that fate had put us there together. The 8 of us hit it off immediately and began spending every moment together.

As we went through our 4 years of college and all of the experiences that come with it, we turned to one another for advice, feedback and any information the others might have to shed light on our situation. And yes, to this day, that includes the juicy details of our late-night (or midafternoon!) exploits.

As soon as a guy would leave the room, my best friends and I would gather to dish it all out. Every. last. bit. From the quality of the hookup to the size of his….friend….. we’d let it all out. I knew everything (and I mean everything) that went on between my friends and their boys between the sheets. More than those boys would ever want to know about.

But after a particularly juicy recap recently I started to wonder if guys do the same thing. Do guys sit around and give a play by play (or blow by blow….) of their late night trysts? I know they like to add the notches to their bedposts, but do they share the deets like my friends do? I asked a guy. Here’s the skinny:

Remember when that meant a night of Full House and Family Matters? Now it just means a night of heavy drinking followed by a day of serious sleeping. And I still love it just as much.

This week was a long one. We lost Estelle Getty. Our boyfriend, Christian Bale, was arrested for yelling at his mother. And we found out that all the not-so-hard work we are putting into college isn’t worth crap anymore. Awesome.

But even though another week has passed, crazy girls are still around, we are still too picky when it comes to picking boys, and freaky guys are still all about peeing on us in bed. WTF?

Maybe we should stick to being single? It is far too hard to find a tall guy anyway. And getting into a relationship only means adding another ex to the list…who you will never be able to avoid thanks to our generation’s problem with oversharing.

Ugh. I need a shot.

At least boys are starting to appreciate more comfortable undies. I’ll keep that thought close to my heart as I enjoy yet another awesome summer weekend.