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There is a disconnect between the users of social media and the power of the content they create.
Users of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace don’t always realise that what they write can and will be used against them in evidence. What most write or share is harmless, a fun picture, a comment from a concert they went to, or who they’ll meet tonight. But…There is plenty that you don’t have to share IMHO. Here is my small (partial) checklist of what can stay private.Â
1. Keep work environment discussions quiet, it can come back to haunt you. For example someone I follow on twitter, clearly works for IKEA. Sometimes they share too much about what goes on there. I’d say err on the side of caution and normally keep the content secret, unless you need to be a whistle blower or absolutely must share what is going on (its your job to do it etc.)Â
2. If you don’t like a location (city, country), then don’t tweet about that and then apply for a job there. It doesn’t matter that you are highly qualified it just makes the employer concerned. What is really at play here is power of the written word versus spoken word. What is written doesn’t come with intonation and body language of interpersonal conversations so it lays heavier in the mind of the person that reads it. People have been fired or not hired because of twitter/facebook comments – see http://www.philgerbyshak.com/fired-for-facebook-and-twitter/
3. Don’t assume that anything you write or share will stay private. There are plenty of people who think @ replies in twitter are private. I would say even be careful with direct messages (yes this should have same etiquette as email). In sum, if you write something in Twitter or Facebook imagine it is part of your online brand and can add or detract to it.
4. Have fun. Even if there are concerns about what you write, most of the content people share is perfectly adorable, lovely, quirky insights from their life.Â
In conclusion, I know that in years to come the rules of the game will change. No employer or journalist will have the same power by looking at social networks for juicy gossip. The goalposts will change for everyone, so if employers won’t hire someone with saucy Facebook pictures they’ll not be able to hire anyone at all… I suppose we need to be careful in the mean time before the masses all produce embarrassing content :)
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