The Internet is wonderful.

People can pay bills, read stories from around the world and communicate with anyone they choose.

The Internet has revitalized the way everything is done.

But, because the Internet connects everyone, it has its down sides.

This week, a Duke graduate unwillingly became an Internet celebrity.

The student sent an e-mail out to a number of close friends, the only eyes she wanted to see the document.

In the e-mail, she had a detailed PowerPoint of her sexual conquests with lacrosse and baseball players while attending Duke University named “An education beyond the classroom: excelling in the realm of horizontal academics.” The document was made as a form of entertainment between friends who attended the school.

She had the player’s names, pictures and a detailed description of what she did with

each athlete.

The PowerPoint included text message exchanges and a scoring system where she rated each one of the male’s performances in the bedroom.

As you may have guessed, the document went viral.

From the e-mail sent to a group of close friends, one person decided to forward it.

After that, it was sent all around the Internet.

On Thursday, Deadspin.com posted the full

PowerPoint with the names of the players viewable. The site took down the names of the players Friday, but unfiltered pictures of the players remain on the site.

Still, the damage is done.

As of Sunday, the post has been viewed nearly 500,000 times.

The former student told Jezebel.com “I regret it with all my heart. I would never intentionally hurt the people that are mentioned on that.”

It seems like every month someone unwilling gets dragged into the spotlight because of something on the Internet.

Unlike most of those people, the former Duke student did not put this information on Facebook or upload a video to YouTube.com.

She did not start a blog or want this information to get out. All she did was send a private e-mail.

The student thought she was safe because she just sent the information to friends and people she trusted.

At the same time, if someone does not want something to get out, do not put it anywhere near the Internet.

But all that needs to happen is one click of the mouse and everyone knows your personal business.

After the e-mail began to get sent out all over the country, the author went in to virtual hiding. She deleted all of her social media profiles.

Still, people were able to find her name, pictures of her and information about her.

The Internet can be a wonderful thing, but it can also make you your own worst enemy.

So next time you are sending an e-mail, chatting with someone on AOL Instant Messenger or even face-to-face with someone on Skype, ask yourself if it is information that you do not want the rest of the world to know.

Dan Cusack is a senior journalism

major. He can be reached at 581-7944 or [email protected].