Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Bebo (if you're 14 years old), all great social forums in which to air your thoughts and opinions, particularly for rugby players today. Just remember the following if you wish to evade the backlash you may receive in return; write them, check they don't offend any gender/race/age-bracket/individual living on planet Earth, still make sure they manage to entertain your fans and followers, double check them...and then triple check for good measure. Easy.

 However, one symptom of the above guideline is that it threatens to expunge the very reason why fans flock to join in the first place. Take Twitter for example; with no more than a click of the 'Follow' button, fans are privy to their idol's lifestyle, training tips, banter with teammates and general day-to-day musings.

  Just this week, Bath and England player Olly Barkley has come under fire due to his supposed Twitter 'rant' over the NHS following his double fracture against Gloucester last weekend. A rant which incidentally repeatedly included praise for the staff whom he described as 'stars' and 'doing an amazing job on limited resources'. Throw in a couple of lighthearted witticisms on the subject of rubbish porridge and flatulence alarm clocks and you've got yourself a less than positive reaction from newspapers and members of the public alike. Nevermind the fact we ALL know NHS food is bordering on pre-Jamie Oliver school dinners, nevermind the fact many of us have had to share a ward with people we'd run screaming from on the street.....apparently you must *not* tweet about it.

 Similarly, Sale and England star Ben Cohen got stung this week after sharing information regarding his personal life that didn't suit the taste of his 130,000 Facebook fans and 12,000 Twitter followers. Despite making several attempts to express his good intentions, the posts were removed as the negative comments continued to stream in and apologies were made.

 They aren't the only ones to have been pulled up either; Leicester Tigers player Jordan Crane received an ear-bashing further to an injury-related tweet, Harlequins' scrum-half Danny Care was forced to apologise following comments about referee Wayne Barnes and numerous other sportsmen from football and cricket have earnt themselves castigation from the Twitterhood Watch.

 It's frustrating to see that daily 're-tweets' on players' pages for charities, fundraising and general well-wishing are forgotten in a nano-second when an opinion's expressed which may not necessarily be one shared with everyone else. Barkley himself frequently updates followers on the work he's undertaking for his up and coming rugby academy where all profits go to the National Association for Children Of Alcoholics, while Cohen keeps his followers posted daily on his forthcoming 'Acceptance Tour' to promote the fight against homophobia. More frustrating is that when a player isn't taking time to champion good causes or speak to fans, it's the best bits - a wisecrack or comedic observation - that they're left defending three minutes later.

 What's soon to happen is that all the genuine thoughts and opinions the majority of us love to read will soon no longer be expressed. Instead we run the risk of being faced with a plug of their latest endorsements, 're-tweets' we've already seen ten times over and suggestions on what protein bars to eat (none, they all make your breath smell rank). If we can, let's just try and come to the sensible conclusion we all have varying points of view and not let it affect our lives too much. Or, leave Twitter (*shudder*)

  Click here for more information on Olly's charity.

  Click here for more information on Ben's Acceptance Tour.