Social networking sites have taken over as the new neighborhood block parties; except these parties are global and the most we can do in terms of a party is that of a virtual toast being made. Craigslist, Facebook, MySpace…they all have their draws. I have a better time of keeping up with my son through our Facebook accounts than I do in our daily ‘real’ lives. I just found out he got yet another speeding ticket…except I didn’t find out because he willingly volunteered this information; he just forgot I keep a close eye on his page. Needless to say, he’s about to embark on a few less than pleasant conversations. This, of course, is the lighter side (for some who manage to avoid speeding tickets, anyway) of these social networks. It’s the darker sides that are hitting the news.

This time, Craigslist is on the hot seat. With the recently dubbed “Craigslist Killer” finally being captured after having solicited women off of the popular site only to kill them in and around Boston, the spotlight’s now on the high number of ’sex for sell’ ads that seem to be plaguing its want ads. The problem is that Craigslist’s founders and their lawyers insist there’s no way to possibly monitor the millions of additions made to the site on a daily basis and further, they are in no way responsible for what people try buy or sell on their site, thanks to state laws. Besides, they say, they’re too busy scrambling to keep those who participate in human trafficking and crimes against children off of their sites.

In a recent post, there was a similar controversy involving a young woman who was auctioning off her virginity as a way to pay for her education. At first glance, one might wonder why it’s OK to auction off one’s first sexual act while it’s not OK to offer similar sexual services on another site. The difference is the woman auctioned her virginity within the state lines of Nevada, where prostitution is legal. Missouri’s not Nevada and these attempts to force Craigslist to rein in its ad monitoring (or lack of) is sure to become a legal quagmire like none other. A federal judge has been asked to step in and force Craigslist’s founders to completely eliminate its erotic sections. This request has resulted in a meeting with Missouri’s attorney general.

It’s yet to be seen what Craigslist will be required to do, if anything, to clean up its site to the satisfaction of those who disagree with its policies. The first meeting was scheduled for today, although there’ve not been any reports on any outcomes at the time of this writing.

Anyone who follows social and cultural trends is bound to be aware of the power of electronic networking. Although not new, it’s only been in the past five or so years that we’ve begun really tapping into the power of what these resources provide. Many careers were skyrocketed by networking with the right people via the internet. In fact, I currently have four bosses and have never met any of them. I’m quite sure none have ever met any of the others. It’s advantageous in many ways - they could care less if I’m on the porch swing doing my work or sitting on the kitchen counter waiting for the biscuits to come out of the oven. As long as it’s quality work and up to their standards, they’re good. Works for me, for sure. All of this electronic networking opens doors that were never accessible before. If you’re searching for an adoption attorney, typing in “adoption lawyers casper wy” on any search engine will return every listing within a three hundred mile radius of Casper, or any other distance, depending on your search specifications. Anytime new legislation is being introduced, it’s instantly accessible. The Supreme Court rules on a controversial case? A patient ten minute wait (just long enough for a secretary to get it uploaded) is all it takes to discover who dissented. Want to know the educational career of another lawyer? A few keywords and you instantly know he graduated third in his class.

What might not be well known is how these avenues provide information we’d never considered before. For instance, it’s no secret that lawyers have used jury consultants in their efforts to provide the best defense for their clients. Considerations used in the quest for the perfect juror include lifestyles (divorce, number of children, etc.), career choices and even which jurors were victims of crime….or if they’ve committed a crime. Once word gets out in the legal community of the perfect consultant who some swear is psychic, via blogs, websites and a number of other electronic methods and the consultant begins receiving requests from across the country, you can be sure he appreciates electronic networking and will never underestimate its power.

As a rule, these minor intrusions are acceptable to the jury pool as a whole. It’s the deeper-hid and unexpected discoveries that make us nervous.

How many of us have a less-than-noble photo or two floating around? Think there are none? Hmm. Well, allow me to remind you that your past may not be as sterling as you’d like to think it is. Remember that trip to a bike rally back in 1994? A few cold beers and next thing you know, you realize how inhibited you’ve always been. Well, inhibited no more, you decide. You’re young, right? You only live once, right? After all, this is your first motorcycle rally and you need to memorialize it in a way that will always serve as proof that you’re an inhibited human being no more. The next time you hear, “Show me what you got!”, you figure you’ll do just that: you’ll show ‘em what you got. Ah…but there are as many cameras as there are Harleys and beer bottles. You think nothing of it afterwards. That is, until 2008 when you stumble across a blog someone’s written. Reality begins to set in. You now know that bikini you wore that weekend will never be your friend again. Want proof that your inhibitions were low? Just pull out your own collection of pictures from that weekend. My, my. These pictures include one of you and a man who parked his bike next to your group’s bikes. He was hilarious and you learned all about his divorce - well, his sixth divorce to be more specific. For some reason, he seemed to forgotten his own name, so you and your friends quickly anoint him as “Cletis Earl”. So here’s this long-forgotten picture of good ‘ol Cletis Earl who’s so drunk he has to lean on you to keep from falling down. Not that you didn’t doubt your own equilibrium more than a few times during that weekend, but as G-rated as your pictures are, you are well aware of the clicks of plenty more cameras during your declaration of independence and lowered inhibitions.

You know you never want that short vacation to “Wild World” discovered by anyone. And God forbid your teenager finding your hidden picture albums and yelling, “Oh my God!! You have a tattoo there?!”

But what if a talented and resourceful jury consultant, in his efforts to provide the perfect balance for the perfect jury stumbles across a website someone put up so his friends around the world could see images from all of his trips to bike shows? You might not even be made aware of this little jewel. For what it’s worth, this discovery may actually be to your advantage. Still, the two things you never want to see the light of day again include those pictures and that bikini.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. Presidential candidates are tapping into the benefits of instant networking. Each candidate recognizes the potential payoffs and the power of getting younger Americans to the polls. By using text messaging, MySpace and calls to cell phones, they’re reminding newly-registered voters to get out and vote.

Whether you’re a doctor, a lawyer or a skydiver, you can be sure there are entire electronic communities targeted at your specific career, hobby and even political interests.

Keep in mind though: more than a few salaries have accidently been discovered and if you find a jury summons in your mailbox, there just might be a consultant plundering around your past to determine if you’re suitable for an upcoming trial.