BlastBeat, where were you when I was in high school?

You know how when you are in high school, adults always want to ask you three basic and boring questions just so you feel included and relevant?

1) When do you graduate?

2)What's your favorite/best subject?

3)What do you want to do in college?

You know how you always give the same generic answers in hopes this will satisfy them and they will leave you alone?

Well I only wish I had something as cool as BlastBeat to brag about to these silly adults.

What is BlastBeat, you ask.

BlastBeat is the coolest resource for wanna-be musicians and those interested in the industry since MySpace, and it's designed specifically for high schoolers.

According to the website, BlastBeat is designed for teens interested in Music & Multimedia business projects. It is offered to high schools around the world to teach entrepreneurial business skills, promote young musicians, and support youth communities on a local and global level.

In other words, the program allows everyday teenagers to form their own independent labels and market music to their peers.

How much fun is that?!

It is actually two competitions in one. What teenager doesn't like a little friendly competition.

Interested students go to the website and apply to become an MMC [Music and MultiMedia Company] "with each member of the company taking on a different job description such as CEO, Sales & Marketing Manager, Talent scout, Web Manager, Video Crew, Photographer, Journalist etc ultimately producing a Battle of the Bands concert in order to identify the best musical talent in their areas. There are 2 competitions in 1, an enterprise competition for the MMCs and a Battle of the Bands for the musicians." (BlastBeat)

The competition is worldwide, and students have opportunites to network with eachother via the website. BlastBeat's website in the hub for most of the activities the students parttake in. Each MMC has a personal page to update and videos are occaisionally uploaded offering advice or sharing the latest news with other BlastBeat members.

BlastBeat is one of the more innovative programs I have come across. Giving teens the responsibility of fostering their own dreams with a little professional guidance is more than a great idea, it is a method that should be put into practice all over.

How Bob Lost His Job

This is Bob.

Bob has lost his job, before he even got it. Let's review how Bob lost his job.

First of all, Bob is a college graduate with great work experience. His previous employers have nothing but good things to say about his work ethic. Bob has the charisma and know-how to get a good job done. He is an employer's dream.

Once Bob leaves work, however, this all changes. Bob likes to party. Bob likes to party and blog about his partying, and Bob like to take pictures of his partying so he can put them on his MySpace and Facebook pages.

Bob's potential boss has discovered Google. This is where Bob's life as he knows it take a turn for the worst.

The boss has discovered Bob's penchant for beer bongs and loose ladies. Bob's boss also discovered that Bob likes to blog about a variety of topics (including his jobs), and he doesn't say very nice things.

This is how Bob has lost a job before he even got it.

I have shared this wonderfully tragic story with you because Bob isn't the first person to suffer the consequences of living a private life very publicly, and he certainly won't be the last. According to monster.com, 77 percent of employers are googling their employees. The popularity of social networking sites makes our lives outside of work that much more accessible. Some people are outraged that Myspace and Facebook have become factors in their value as an employee, but others argue that if you are willing to share your life on the internet, you should be willing to come to terms with employers using this to their advantage.

With internet prowess, comes great responsibility. You may not like your boss googling you, but it is an undeniable truth that it will happen to you in the future if it hasn't already. So what do we do? Do we sacrifice our ability to network online? Do we stop writing our blogs and trade them in for the trusty ol' diary? Do we throw caution to the wind, post our questionable

( but oh so fun and exciting) photos from last weekend's toga party, and hope our boss doesn't know how to access Facebook? The decision is a personal one, but if you are looking to stay fed, clothed, and housed it's probably best to make sure your privacy controls on these sites are airtight.

This is the age of the internet and it's time we realize that privacy is not what it used to be. Remember that it's not just you and your friends looking at those pictures or reading those blog posts... it's potentially the entire world.

Disclaimer: The picture used above is not actually Bob. Well, he could be Bob, but I don't know for sure if he is or not. Picture Credit: Getty Images