This week, Shaquille O’Neal will receive a doctoral degree from Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida. O’Neal has earned his degree in organizational learning and leadership, which took him four years to finish. By the time he finished his program, O’Neal had taken 16 classes, earned 54 credits and earned a 3.8 GPA.

The basketball star’s doctoral dissertation was titled “How Leaders Utilize Humor or Seriousness in Leadership Roles,” which is a very appropriate topic considering O’Neal is well-known for his sense of humor and has become a sort of unofficial leader in the sports industry.

Since O’Neal is constantly traveling around the United States as a sports caster, and to fulfill other responsibilities like public speaking and public appearances, he set up one-on-one class sessions to avoid getting behind in course work.

Barry University’s press release about the star’s graduation mentions that O’Neal dedicated his education to his mother. According to the release, O’Neal said: “This is for my mother, who always stressed the importance of education.” In the release, O’Neal also thanked his professors for helping him earn his degree. Before earning his doctoral degree, O’Neal earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Louisiana State University and an online MBA degree from the University of Phoenix.

O’Neal is not the only athlete to have earned a college degree. Here are a few others that have also earned their stripes in college:

Tom Brady

Brady, a star quarter back in the NFL, earned a degree in organizational studies from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michael Jordan

Well loved, and well versed, athlete Michael Jordan actually earned his bachelor’s degree while playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls. He earned his degree in geography from the University of North Carolina.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams, the legendary tennis player also has an eye for fashion. She earned her associate’s degree in fashion design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

Michelle Kwan

The extremely talented figure skater earned her bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Denver. But, she didn’t stop there. Kwan went on and earned her master’s degree at Tufts University.

Peyton Manning

The famous Peyton Manning isn’t just an amazingly talented quarterback; he also has a knack for communications. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Tennessee.

Phil Mickelson

This great golfer earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Arizona State University right before he entered the world of pro golf.

Tim Tebow

Yes, even the athlete who got thousands of people to impersonate his kneeling stance, and even coined the term “Tebowing” earned a college degree. Tebow earned a degree in family, youth and community sciences from the University of Florida.

Many athletes, especially the more well known ones, do more than just play their sport. They assist charity organizations, act as official spokespeople and even begin their own foundations. Earning a degree is one way athletes prepare to make a difference outside their sport.

Even if you don’t intend to have a professional athletic career, these interesting facts just go to show how important it is to earn a college degree. A college degree, whether earned on campus or online, is a valuable recognition that will open countless doors for you.

Personally, I don’t really have an opinion. Well, I guess it’s more that I can waver on the topic than not having an opinion at all. I use the internet to research medical symptoms all the time. Sometimes I get unnecessarily freaked out and other times I’m exactly right and I can start making changes to make myself better. Here’s an example: I was taking doxycycline for an extended period of time as treatment for Lyme disease. I know you’re supposed to stay out of the sun when you take this medication, but I couldn’t help myself. It was too nice out. So, I sat outside and before too long, my hands started burning. Not visibly, but I could feel them burning. Of course, I went inside, but the feeling didn’t subside right away.

After a few weeks, I noticed that my nails were separating from the nail beds. I freaked out; naturally. I was going to run to the doctor, but I could just imagine the barrage of tests that I was in for. So, I did a ton of research, ruled out everything that didn’t make sense for me, and I learned that there were a few documented cases where photosensitivity from tetracycline have caused this to happen. So, I decided to wait it out and my nails eventually grew in completely normal. Since this is an odd case, I don’t know that my doctor would have been able to diagnose it without extensive (and expensive) testing. I saw lots of travel and copay expenses in my near future.

But, then again, there’s a case to be made for the danger of it all. What if it had been something serious and I decided to wait on going to the doctor because of what I read on the internet or heard through social media? That would be a serious problem. So, I see both sides. And I understand why doctors advise you not to research symptoms on the internet in lieu of an office visit. But, I’ll probably continue doing it anyway.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, just log in to Facebook. I have young cousins and a few of their friends on my friends list. But I think everyone sees a sampling of all ages on their accounts. So, I guess the real question for this audience is not whether kids should act grown at the age of 12, but whether they should be on Facebook at all. According to the law, they shouldn’t. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act bans websites from collecting information from kids under 13, but we all know those 12-year-olds have been on Facebook since they were about eight.

If they aren’t honest about their age when they sign up, there really isn’t anything Facebook can do. It’s really up to the parents. Actually, you might be surprised to hear this, but I don’t have a problem with kids being on Facebook or other social networking sites. I just think the parents need to closely monitor what’s going on.

According to data gathered by Survey Sampling International, 19 percent of kids on Facebook are between 11 and 12. More startling: 4 percent of kids on Facebook are kindergarten age or younger. The really young kids probably aren’t much of an issue because parents are either managing their accounts or watching them very closely. Most parents are aware that they need to fiercely protect their babies from internet predators, but what worries me is when those babies start growing up a little.

When kids start making their own decisions and they start wanting more privacy (both natural things), it can a recipe for danger on the internet. No matter how grown these kids seem, they’re still kids and they need someone looking out for them (whether they like it or not). I think government regulations play a role, but they can only reach so far. It’s up to the parents pick up the slack.

Every single person out of the five voluntary participants pretty much said that they agreed to do it out of curiosity. They wanted to see how unplugging would affect their lives, if at all. If you think about it, that’s actually really smart. We tend not to evaluate things as we go, and I think that’s how we often find ourselves in situations where we’re either unhappy or in over our heads or just plain not managing our time well (as it goes with social media).

Unplugging offers you the opportunity to see what your life would be without this distraction. If there’s a stark contrast; like, say, you get more work done or feel better about your in-person connections with people; it might be time to scale back on the time you spend on social media for the long haul.

You’re probably wondering how it affected the participants. Well, it affected each of them differently. One said he realized how trivial Facebook was after getting back on after the break. Another said the break made her realize how disconnected inter-personal relationships are without social media. I’m not sure I understand her perspective, but maybe she means that people are more straightforward on sites like Twitter (you kind of have to be). Another participant commented on how great it was to be able to watch a movie from beginning to end without looking away to update a status or reply to someone else’s. For the full story, check out Mashable.

But, I guess that means that social media means different things to different people. At the very least, a social media break will probably let you know where you stand (true addict or casual user). And don’t say you can’t take a social media break. There are very few careers where you are required to be on social media in order to get your job done. Actually, most employers take measures to keep their employees off of Facebook and Twitter. So, if you’re a paralegal, fireman, teacher or dog trainer, you don’t have any excuse not to take a break. On the other hand, if you’re a social media manager, you’re kinda stuck. The best you can do is maybe neglect your personal accounts (unless they are somehow tied to the success of your business page).

Well, if you’re one of them, have no fear; us privacy mongers won’t stand in the way of your desire to live on the edge (and potentially have your identity stolen). For you, I have compiled a list of surefire ways to make sure your data isn’t protected:

1.  Give your credit card information on sites that aren’t secure. Check the url. Does it start with http:// or https://? If there’s no “s,” you’re living on the edge. Anyone can see your credit card info if they have the right know-how.
2. Fill out your online profiles with all of your information, including your phone number and address, and then make your profiles public for all to see. You don’t mind strangers showing up at your doorstep, do you?
3. Tell all of cyberspace when you’re going to be out of the house. People have been robbed this way; if that’s not living on the edge, I don’t know what is.
4. Make friends with strangers online and tell them everything there is to know about you. Again, if this isn’t living on the edge, I don’t know what is.

I kid about those who don’t care about their online privacy, but you have to admit that there’s some truth behind this. People who just cover their ears and sing la-la-la may as well be actively engaging in the activities listed above. In order to protect your privacy, you have to be alert and aware. It’s okay to tell everyone that you’re an administrative assistant, but it may not be okay to tell strangers exactly where you work and when you’ll be there. Make sense?

Online privacy is a touchy subject these days because SOPA has left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths, but the Obama administration is trying to change that by passing an act that protects consumers from companies who want to gather and use their personal data. This act is called the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, and I think it’s long overdue.

With the way we rely on the internet for everything from personal banking to managing social relationships, it’s scary that there isn’t something like this in action already. As it stands right now, companies are tracking our online habits from the moment we visit their websites. They are essentially spying on us. It’s not to steal our credit card or social security numbers (we hope). No; more often, it’s to find out more about us so they can manipulate their ads to be more effective. There are ways you can hide from ads and stop companies from tracking your online usage, but most consumers don’t know how to do this.

Since I first wrote about the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, more information has emerged. The White House issued a 62-page document that serves as the framework for this bill, and here are some of the things it will include:

Transparency: The goal is for companies to be more clear about how they’re using your information and whether they are tracking your habits. No more hiding in the terms of service.

Control: Consumers will be allowed to have more control over how organizations use and store their data. What does this mean exactly? I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Accuracy: Consumers will have the right to change personal data that is stored, if it is inaccurate. There will be guidelines for this, of course. It’ll be interesting to see how its implemented.

Just imagine, maybe one day soon, people studying for criminal justice careers will have to learn about prosecuting companies who don’t abide by these rules. That actually sounds a little comforting.

This was a really interesting case in many ways. It touches on online privacy, freedom of speech and cyber bullying. Members of the jury who were interviewed said it was not an easy case to decide. Ultimately, the piece of evidence that sealed Ravi’s fate was a recording of his first interview with prosecutors where he admits that he purposely spied on Clementi.

At one point, the defense argued that Ravi had the camera set up so he could keep an eye on his belongings while a strange man was in his room.

As I read the story today, so many things stood out that I wasn’t aware of before. First, I didn’t know Ravi was in danger of being deported. But, he’s not a U.S. citizen (he’s Indian), and the U.S. deports almost all criminals that aren’t U.S. natives.

Another thing that I found interesting was that Ravi turned down a plea bargain that would have kept him out of jail and in this country. He would have had to deal with a probation officer, but that’s about it. That just goes to show that he really didn’t expect to be convicted.

A lot of people are surprised by the verdict. Even “M.B.” (Clementi’s date on the tape) has said that he doesn’t think Ravi should do time.

It’ll be interesting to see where things go from here, and what’s in store for this young man who had a very big, insensitive and stupid lapse in judgment. In a way I’m glad to see this type of precedent being set – because online bullying needs to stop. But, on the other hand, I do feel a little bad for Ravi. I don’t know if it was a “hate crime” or if he just hated his roommate and made a dumb move.

It’s just not right. I think I would decline the job if monitoring my social networking was part of the deal. I’m not even among those who believe that someone shouldn’t be fired for what they post. Sounds like a contradiction, right? I actually think that anything that is publicly posted is fair game for employers. If I write that my boss is an a$sh@l3 and my job sucks, I wouldn’t expect to stay there long. Why would an employer keep an ungrateful (and obviously disgruntled) employee around when there are plenty of deserving people out there looking for work? They shouldn’t.

On the other hand, say I have a minor obsession with cats who do silly things (hypothetically, of course).  I post Can I Has Cheezburger pics and YouTube videos of cats skateboarding on all of my social networking sites. My friends see the humor, but I know not everyone will, so I make my profile private. Now, you’re telling me that I might have to share my cat obsession with the person who will decide whether or not I get a promotion? Hmm… that’s tricky business. I think we’re all entitled to our private lives outside of work, and we have the right to keep things private.

I could understand if I worked for the CIA, or if I was employed by ABC and therefore knew the outcome of “The Bachelor” before anyone else (you know, important stuff like that), but otherwise, I think this is a serious violation of privacy. If you’re on the fence, think about how you’d feel if your boss asked for access to your personal emails. Not cool.

You definitely want to keep your search history under wraps. Who wants everyone to know what they search for most? I don’t. Being a writer, I search for a lot of random things in order to research the topics that I write about. My search history doesn’t define me. It often doesn’t even personally relate to me. I also don’t need to feel like I have a probation officer tracking my every move. That’s why I turned off search history tracking a long time ago. I’m not a fan of the personalized search results either. Just show me what’s most relevant to the topic I’ve searched for. Don’t try to guess what I want to see. Sorry Google, but you get it wrong more than you get it right.

If you’ve had your search history turned off and deleted before March 1, you don’t have to worry about the information being shared amongst Google’s different properties (phew), but if you hadn’t, there’s nothing you can do about it. The best thing you can do is to tell Google to stop tracking your search history going forward. Do this by signing into your Google account and going to http://www.google.com/history. Click the “remove all history” button, and then click OK. Not only will this clear your history, but it will also pause Google’s tracking of your search habits. This will also turn off your personalized search results, so if you like that feature, you may want to think twice about removing your search history. You’ll just have to weigh the pros and cons.

The Obama administration is now trying to pull the reins in on large corporations who are collecting data on us (think Google and Facebook) by getting them to buy in and abide by a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights. It all seems very vague at the moment, and it’s not even clear who will be setting the rules. It seems like stakeholders from these corporations will be involved. Although it’s not an ideal situation, I guess it’s better than nothing. If I know that a company has opted in to abide by a bill of rights to protect me, I’d feel more comfortable using its website and services. But, of course, it depends on what’s in that bill of rights and how much it really protects me.

At the same time, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recommended a “Do Not Track” tool that will allow consumers the power to block advertisers from following their habits. If I’m not mistaken, these tools already exist (Ghostery, anyone?), but I guess something official from the government couldn’t hurt – especially if it came standard on all web browsers. This is something we can expect to see in use later this year. That’s a step in the right direction, I guess. I’m just glad to see that the government is stepping in to do something to protect us from the corporations who are constantly feeding off of us. Capitalism has its perks, but this is getting a little out of hand.