Folly:
Lack of good sense or normal prudence and foresight; a foolish act or idea.
I often
post articles or blogs about using social media. I advise against posting
inappropriate content, using foul language, linking to information or sites
which are not a good fit with your brand…..all of the above. I know that social
media can be a good thing and a terrible thing and that the user must take
responsibility for what he or she posts.
Because…..there
are consequences.
One such
consequence occurs when a potential employer takes into account what they read
and see on facebook. I recently spoke to a gentleman who said that he actually
asks his employees for facebook username and information. Now……a little part of
me was suspicious when he said that. It was said with an undertone of bravado
and I wonder if he was simply telling me this because he knew that it would
sound controversial and keep the conversation moving. Regardless of whether his
statement was fact or fiction, it raises an interesting point.
I asked
why…..”why does he ask for that information and what type of content would he
be looking for?” The answer was simple: He wanted to know what type of character his employee demonstrated. A
facebook page filled with endless party photos and foul language speaks volumes
to their character, and raises a potential red flag. This wasn’t the type of
individual he wanted working for him.
This
particular person with whom I was speaking was very “anti-facebook” and social
media in general. I asked him, “why not simply have a social media policy and
have new hires sign off on the policy?”. For someone who felt that strongly, he
should have a policy in place so that he had recourse in the event that an
employee coloured outside the lines of decorum.
After
having the conversation with this Negative Nelly, I realized that he was a bit
of a blowhard and not tech savvy enough to seek out the damning information
even with the user identification. He didn’t want to entertain the notion that
a social media policy would be helpful and frankly, I don’t think he even knew
what I was talking about. He shouldn’t be playing in the Social Media Sandbox.
But
apparently he was………and his assumption that facebook was the 5th
Horseman of the Apocalypse had made him determined to be the judge and jury of
content.
So who is
right? Should the employer have the right to check out employees? I don’t know
the answer to that and probably the legal system will be tested many, many
times in the future as it tries to answer that very question.
I do know
that you must be careful and aware of what you post on a social networking
site, that it may come back to haunt you. If you are in doubt about whether or
not something is appropriate, then do the “would my Grandma like it if she saw
this?” test. It works every time!
Judy
