When "facebook" and "friend" become verbs, it's a sign that Facebook.com has pervaded college culture.Facebook is an online service created by Harvard students in 2004 that allows college students to post profiles with photos and interests and to join groups, write messages and just generally stalk acquaintances and friends.

Heck, students facebook people for everything lately. There are some people who are comfortable putting almost everything online-their e-mail address, cell phone number, home address, number of siblings, zodiac sign, exact global position... OK maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. We ourselves were pretty hesitant about joining; we were wary of exposing our information to creepy stalkers and strange college students-hair a mess, slumped over their laptops with coffee spilling everywhere-viewing our information and pictures.

Eventually, we succumbed like thousands of others. But mingling with the pretty faces of our friends lurk other figures that also watch and monitor our profiles.

Anyone with an e-mail address from one of an ever-expanding group of colleges and universities can join Facebook, which means that Brandeis faculty and administrators have access to all Brandeis student profiles. According to The Boston Globe, "Brandeis [told] students to consider future employers, professors or family members who might read Facebook entries. Indeed, some Brandeis administrators said at a forum on Sept. 19-to open-mouthed reactions of students attending-that they have begun reading Facebook entries before hiring a student for campus positions."

There has even been a case where a student has been kicked out of his university based on information put on his Facebook profile (pictures, groups joined, etc.) At Fischer College, a small liberal arts college in Boston, sophomore Cameron Walker, president of Fischer's Student Government Association, was expelled for joining a group his friend had created that aimed to get a college police officer fired. According to the Brown Daily Herald, Fischer considered the whole thing a joke. Until he was kicked out of school, that is.

It is said that "you can't judge a book by its cover," but can you judge people by their Facebook photos?

There are many people on Facebook who are not old enough to drink legally but just stupid enough to post a picture of themselves guzzling down a bottle of vodka on their profiles. We decided to do a search of some Brandeis profiles, as well those from friends at other schools, to see what other incriminating content students were posting. We came up with some amusing results.

Second to alcohol, the drug of choice that people use to look cool in their profiles is marijuana. One student from Union College has a lovely picture of himself sucking down a bong on his profile, with the choice quote: "Interests: Smoking pot ... from the RooR, Sex, making out (top and bottom lip! ... wtf)" Another favorite: a Brandeis student who includes in his photo album pictures of himself rolling and smoking a joint. Oh, and let's not forget the photo of someone drunk in mid-vomit.

Incriminating pictures are not the only interesting things on display; the site abounded with quotes that would make your grandma have a stroke. Some of the most shocking include: "I Hate: ... Ethnic Minorities," "Interests: ... Pot, Durgs, Porn, Sex, Sex Toys ..." and "Interests: ... Masturbating (a lot)."

A guy from Tufts University had a list of 151 things he learned from college, including: "If your high, drunk, and tripping on opium while having sex, plan on blocking out a couple hours in your scedual," "jokes about the holicoust go over much better when the israli your telling it to is high" and "if someone intentionaly walks in on you having sex, throwing the used condom at him is an aprorpreate respond."

People need to realize that Facebook profiles are public to anyone with your school e-mail domain, and despite what some overconfident people may claim, it is not that difficult to gain access to the site. So construct your profile as if your mom, grandma, rabbi and the police could read it.

It is unfortunate that we have to hide who we really are online and elsewhere for fear that people who would not accept the real us might be watching, but we must accept that this is the reality.

Suppose, for example, your mom's friend who works at a college shows her a picture of you holding two bottles of Captain Morgan in your hands? Or your potential employer notes on your application that your interests include "puffing the reefer"? The minute you put your name and picture down, everything on that site-the pictures, the groups, the "interests"-becomes attached to your identity, for the world to see. So be careful. Oh, and by the way, consider yourself poked.