For years, the University of California, Los Angeles, has been a rare holdout. As other colleges, universities, and independent schools rushed to create their own private online social networks, the UCLA Alumni Association stood on the sidelines. This fall, UCLA will join the game, launching its own online community. According to Ralph Amos, assistant vice chancellor of alumni relations, when it comes to private social networks, an institution can't live without one. The University of South Carolina, on the other hand, thinks one can. On June 30, the Carolina Alumni Association shut down its four-year-old Gamecock Network because the traffic had become "almost nonexistent." The conflicting views of UCLA and South Carolina reflect the ongoing debate at many institutions: Is an institution's own private social network relevant in this era of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter? In this article, the author discusses the rise and fall of private networks and describes some institutions that have dropped their private networks and those that have not.