It's official: Online social networking is mainstream. Once the domain of teenagers and techno-geeks, sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly gaining popularity with the multi-aged masses. Last year, in fact, Facebook reported its fastest growing demographic was those 25 years and older. There's no question that this new communications medium holds tantalizing possibilities for increasing and deepening alumni connections. But many alumni professionals are scratching their heads, trying to figure out where this not-so-recent phenomenon fits into an already established alumni program. Is online social networking a flashy distraction or a promising development? Should it be considered part of the regular array of alumni benefits and services, or is it separate and distinct? Why should alumni organizations jump in to this brave new world and how can they take those first steps? In this article, six alumni professionals--all early adopters of online social networking--offer their thoughts on these questions. Participating in the conversation from the United States were Andrew Shaindlin, executive director of alumni relations at California Institute of Technology; Louis Alexander, director of alumni education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and Charlie Melichar, vice president for public relations and communications at Colgate University in New York. Chiming in from the U.K. were Ian Moore, head of alumni relations at Coventry University, and Ben Fitch, alumni development manager at Oxford Brookes University. And participating from Australia was Shaun McDonagh, director of marketing and communications at the University of Queensland.