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	Don’t Get Fired over Social Websites - Work-safe Advice for Social Networking October 1st, 2009 by Kate Seidametova  Posted in Job Search, Networking

We’ve all have heard stories of people losing their jobs because they’ve been too outspoken on social websites like Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Don’t think you are safe even if you don’t spent time on social websites at work. There have been cases of people getting fired because of pictures, comments or status updates that they posted from home. If you are bored at work or have a boss who is an idiot, it may not be wise to share these thoughts on a social website. Anything you post becomes a public domain - there is very little privacy and a post about your boss may become searchable and permanently accessible on the Internet. Think about the implications!



You may think “Anyone has the right to free speech”. It is true but at the same time you probably don’t want your employer to draw conclusions about your moral character based on what you do in your spare time. Just think carefully about implications of what opening up your private life and thoughts to public can lead to.

You may be shocked to find out that a recent research has shown that as much as 45 % of business managers check Facebook regularly to see how their employees behave after work.

Here are some simple ideas on how to play it safe on social websites:

• Do NOT use social websites at work or during work time (chances are your employer is already tracking Internet traffic).
• Do NOT thrash out your work, your coworkers and your boss. It will most certainly come back to bite you sooner or later!
• Do NOT post any compromising pictures or discrediting evidence of using illegal substances; even a drunken college picture can harm you. By the way, you may even get arrested! Cops use Facebook as much as anyone else and there have been cases of that, too.
• Do NOT disclose any personal information, and keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t leak out. Google your name from time to time just to see where it appears.
• Let you friends know how you feel about those embarrassing pictures that they posted of you and if you don’t feel safe -ask them to take them down! At the same time don’t forget about your friends’ interests when posting pictures of them. Your friend may not be happy to know that he or she is the center piece on one of your compromising pictures.
• Never discuss anything confidential online with anyone. Especially though “private” messages on social networks. They are not as “private” as you may think.

The bottom line: If you value your job, and don’t want to lose it over social websites, it may be worthwhile to think about keeping your social networking accounts “work-friendly”.