Facebook/Myspace in the classroom

I may have a negative opinion about Facebook and Myspace in the classroom. I do personally use Facebook to communicate with friends and family but I feel neither Facebook or Myspace has a place in education. I get requests to befriend a student on one of these websites and I feel torn between my role as a educator. We have had teachers fired for using technology in this way while interacting with a student, so I always decline a request. I understand there are educators or role models that may misuse this type of communication outlet, but educators could use this as a positive also. There are numerous ways they could involved blogs, pictures, surveys and much more in their classrooms and make student eager to learn outside of school. But, sadly there are role models and educators that have abused this privilege and now make these technology outlets a common known fact teachers and students can not be friends on social networks for a number of reasons.
I am torn because some of these students need outlets such as these to communicate with their teachers or other classmates. Some students naturally are quiet and withdrawn, but when you put a keyboard in front of them they can express their self and blow a teacher mind with the insight they have underneath the surface of a sitting in a classroom. I also teach preventative lessons such as Suicide and Bullying prevention, I have had students try and reach me through technology, such as email, when they feel they can not talk to me at school. Facebook and Myspace do offer some benefits to educators when trying to communicate to students outside of the work day but also can get educators in trouble. Its a shame these type of technology advancements can't be brought into the classroom more.....but politics run the school good and bad so we have to make everyone happy even if our kids loss out on opportunities that if used appropriately could benefit them.