In today’s Quick Hits we discuss cyberbullying, the role of anonymity on the web, and why spending too much time tending your digital farm could cost you your job.

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Should School Officials Be Punished Over Cyberbullying Suicide?

In an ongoing investigation into the suicide of Massachusetts teen Phoebe Prince, parents are wondering why nine students have been charged with crimes, while no school officials have been indicted. Currently, laws specifically governing cyberbullying are in their infancy. As more cases like this occur, we will begin to see a precedent established for who can and cannot be held responsible. Until then, prosecutors will be even more reliant on their professional judgment when seeking justice for a cyberbullying victim, and, in this case, it would appear that there is not a strong case against the school officials.

Does Chatroulette Prove That People Want Anonymity Online?

In an article at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech Blog, Jessi Hempel wonders whether the socialization of the web has hurt our ability to communicate freely, and cites the popularity of anonymous video chat website Chatroulette as a sign that people still wish to embrace anonymity online.

From the blog post, “We aren’t just constructing Facebook profiles anymore. We are building our personal brands, layering on photographs and compiling status updates that represent not the life we experience, but rather the life we want our audiences to believe we experience. And as more and more web services are launched and stitched together, allowing us to capture every image and identify our every location, we must complete an increasingly complex calculus to maintain these personal brands. It’s no surprise that a backlash is emerging.”

A Call to Ban Anonymous Comments

In somewhat of a counterpoint to Jessi Hempel’s article at Fortune, Connie Schultz at the Cleveland Plain Dealer discusses how she “look[s] forward to the day when news organizations start to ban anonymous comments on their Web sites” and why she believes that intellectual discourse must begin with a name and an identity if it is to be taken seriously.

Which side do you tend to agree with?

Facebook Glitch Exposes Private E-Mail Addresses

For about 30 minutes last night, a number of Facebook users had their private e-mail addresses shared publicly through a glitch in the system. PC World speculates that the glitch may have come as a result of Facebook’s recently announced privacy changes, wherein the site will make it easier to send your basic info to preapproved third-party websites. Securing users’ private info is typically one of Facebook’s strong suits, but when you’re dealing with 400 million users worldwide, there are bound to be slip-ups.

Bulgarian Official Fired for FarmVille

We’ve discussed how inappropriate pictures on Facebook can get you fired, but now we know that playing too much FarmVille can get you canned as well. According to this report from Mashable, a Bulgarian public official was fired after he was observed spending too much time on the game during meetings. Interestingly, he wasn’t the only one playing FarmVille either. As the report explains, “the councilman – Dimitar Kerin – defended his game play by pointing to the fact his colleagues were also playing, so much so that they had reached a higher level him.” Bummer for Mr. Kerin. If he was going to lose his job, he could have at least gone out on top.