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Is there really etiquette on social media? And, if there is, do I need to start teaching my children about such etiquette? (Thinkstock)

I teach a social media class at UMass Amherst, and my students were recently talking about the etiquette of social media. It was not something I had really thought about. Is there really etiquette on social media? And, if there is, do I need to start teaching my children about such etiquette?

As parents we spend a lot of time on manners: Elbows off the table, firm handshake, respect your elders, look people in the eye when talking to them, etc. But the more I spoke to my students, the more I thought about the need to talk to my kids about social media etiquette.

So what is unacceptable behavior?

My students said they've seen breakups live-tweeted or live broadcast on Facebook. And a close friend of mine told me she saw a friend from high school live broadcast her marriage falling apart, including references to domestic violence. The broadcast was also filled with comments from Facebook friends offering support.

I recalled when my son and his girlfriend broke up in seventh grade and how there was a bit of a backlash. The animosity wasn't public it took place on Facebook's messaging system but friends of the girl were verbally attacking my son and his friends, making threats. At one point, one of the girl's friends dropped the N-word, prompting me to take a screen shot of the exchange and send it to the guidance counselor.

The student was reprimanded, but I also had an opportunity to explore some of the ideas behind social media communication. Teen and pre-teens live in a world where the focus tends to be on them. Communication is often seen as one-to-one or one-to-several instead of one-to-many. So, I tried to get my son to understand that you never know who will be reading your social media rants. The old adage seems appropriate here: Don't write anything you wouldn't want your grandmother to read.

I do remember that he garnered a bunch of Facebook comments when he changed his in a relationship status to single. And, this is an issue for divorced parents as well. I'm friends with my son on Facebook, so I've been overly careful not to share too much about my divorce. And when I changed my relationship status I just left it blank partially not to call attention to it (and possibly embarrass him) but also because I wanted to control the flow of information, not Facebook

And, ultimately that is one of the lessons we need to pass on to our children about communication in a social media world. Undoubtedly, there are parts of your life you want to share successes, photos, moments of happiness. But everyone does not need to know everything.

So, Social Media Etiquette Rule #1: Think before you share (even if you are a teenager)

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How to teach your kids social media etiquette

APN News and Media has returned to profitability, and demonstrated its confidence in broadcast media by buying control of its radio businesses.

APN will buy the remaining 50 per cent stakes in the Australian Radio Network (ARN) and The Radio Network (TRN) from its US joint venture partner Clear Channel for $246.5 million.

ARN owns or has investments in 12 radio stations across Australia, including the Mix network, and TRN operates seven radio brands in New Zealand.

'We are confident that radio will continue to grow as a medium and that ARN and TRN will continue to capture a greater share of the market,' chief executive officer Michael Miller said.

APN made a $2.6 million profit in 2013, a turnaround from a $507 million loss in 2012 that included impairments on the value of its publishing assets.

Mr Miller said APN's performance was its best in years, with strong earnings growth in radio, a record result in its advertising business Adshel, plus the benefits from the sale of several businesses.

During the year, APN sold its billboard advertising business APN Outdoor, e-commerce business brandsExclusive and its eight per cent equity in Aussie Commerce Group.

The sale of APN's wholly-owned New Zealand magazine titles to Bauer Media Group had received regulatory approval and was expected to be completed in March, the company said.

APN said its Australian regional newspapers had an improved second half performance, although earnings were still down 23 per cent for the year.

The company plans to raise $132 million by offering new shares to its shareholders to help pay for its radio acquisition.

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APN to buy control of radio networks

The Alex Jones Show(Commercial Free AUDIO) Friday February 14 2014: Marc Morano
Media Manipulation -- Date: 02/14/2014 -- http://www.prisonplanet.tv/ -Today - On this explosive Friday, February 14 edition of the Alex Jones Show, Alex cov...

By: Ron Gibson

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The Alex Jones Show(Commercial Free AUDIO) Friday February 14 2014: Marc Morano - Video

Russias Ekho Moskvy radio station, which gives a platform to critics of the government, said it faces a threat to editorial independence as its state-controlled majority owner moved to replace the companys chief executive.

Ekaterina Pavlova a former high-level manager in state media, was elected as CEO at a shareholder meeting, Gazprom Media, a unit of the gas exporter, which controls 66 percent of voting shares, said on its website today. She replaces Yuri Fedutinov, who has been in that job since 1992.

The decision is unfair, Ekho Moskvy Editor-in-Chief Alexei Venediktov, who faces re-election to another five-year term, said in a blog entry today. The move is not based on economic grounds and is aimed at pressuring the editorial policy of Ekho Moskvy and personally me as editor-in-chief.

More coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi

President Vladimir Putin is moving to control dissonant voices at home as Russians fume about the criticism of Sochi Olympics in global media. The Russian leader, who won a third term in 2012 after facing the biggest protests of his now 14-year rule, is tightening the reins on independent media, having brought the main national television channels under state control during his first term.

The overhaul at Ekho Moskvy, founded in the dying days of communism, follows the threat of closing for independent television channel Dozhd and the dissolution of state news service RIA Novosti.

Dozhd, which has given airtime to anti-Putin punk rockers Pussy Riot and opposition leader Alexey Navalny, came under fire after a poll on its website last month asked whether Soviet dictator Josef Stalin should have surrendered Leningrad to end a Nazi blockade. Amid outrage by veterans associations and pro-government lawmakers, the biggest cable operators said they would drop the channel, cutting its audience to about 2 million from almost 18 million.

Now Ekho Moskvy is feeling the heat through Gazprom Media, a unit of state-run OAO Gazprom, its majority owner since 2001 and the biggest media company in Russia. Its CEO was replaced by the Gazprom Media candidate against the wishes of editorial workers itself, Venediktov said.

While journalists, who own 34 percent of voting shares, have preserved control over editorial policy even under state ownership, that will change if Gazprom Media gets its way, Venediktov said. Ekho Moskvy, whose daily broadcasts reach 3.8 million people with a potential audience of about 46 million, regularly interviews opposition politicians and others with limited access to state-run television.

The state wants to reduce citizens access to information, Venediktov said by phone before todays shareholder meeting to elect a new CEO.Weve come under criticism, including from the president. Thats normal, but this criticism shouldnt be seen as a green light for officials to silence us.

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Putin Tightens Control Over Media as Radio Targeted After TV

10 years of Facebook

10 years of Facebook

10 years of Facebook

10 years of Facebook

10 years of Facebook

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Douglas Rushkoff writes a regular column for CNN.com. He is a media theorist, the author of the book, "Present Shock: When everything happens now" and correspondent on a Frontline documentary "Generation Like" being shown on PBS beginning February 18.

(CNN) -- Ask teens the object of social media, and they'll all tell you the same thing: to get "likes." Whether on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr, young users understand the coin of this realm, and are more than happy to do what is necessary to accumulate it. But is the currency value neutral, or does it come with an agenda of its own?

Living for likes makes a teen's social career a whole lot easier, in some respects. Now there's a number letting kids know how popular they are, how well a photo is resonating with their friends, or whether their video stands a chance of vaulting them into the professional world of singing, skateboarding or twerking.

What they may not understand, however, is that this game of likes is not taking place on a level playing field. It was constructed by companies whose multibillion-dollar stock valuations are depending on little more than generating traffic -- more likes, follows and favorites -- and then selling the data that can be gleaned from it.

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Social media and the perils of looking for 'likes'