Use of Social Media Requires Common Sense

There have been more than enough stories reported in the media of late involving people making careless mistakes on social networking sites that result in job loss, a missed opportunity or lost business. Examples: the Ketchum PR exec who tweeted how much he hated Memphis, TN during a visit to Federal Express HQ’s. Fed Ex found out about it and fired the agency. Or how about the opportunity that slipped through the hands of a potential job candidate when he tweeted about taking a boring job at Cisco and hating the daily commute. 

I’ve said before, social media has put people back in business which simply means, more people are “listening” to what we’re saying in our tweets and status updates on social networking sites. Because of the viral effect of online communication, you can expect anything you do online to show up on somebody’s desktop, laptop, Blackberry or iPhone, whether it be a college admissions counselor, a hiring manger or anyone.

This bit of social networking etiquette was quickly brought to my attention when I first created my Facebook profile at the urging of a friend in Atlanta. I didn’t realize a post to her wall about a job opportunity could have been viewed by her current employer. I got a private email chastising me for my blunder. Now I know better.

Perhaps it’s just a matter of people still stuck in the Jerry Springer mindset — or better yet — the reality TV mode. Or maybe people are challenged by posting something provocative on their Facebook or Twitter page in order to get a response.

However, when you think about it, social networking is so much like being face-to-face in a room with a bunch of strangers. You post a thought to a social networking site without thinking: ’Do I really want to share this with a bunch of strangers? Yeah, true my friends will see it but what about their friends?’

Just use common sense… but then someone once said to me: “Common sense ain’t always common.”

What are your social networking blunders? What was your motive for posting something that should have been private? How did it effect your job or a job opportunity? Let’s chat about it.