http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/ Switched Comments for Your FaceBook or MySpace Profile Could Cost You Your Job http://www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.switched.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 11th 2008 1:52PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 20th 2008 2:58PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/
http://www.ziggs.com]]>Mar 20th 2008 2:28PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Anyone still under the impression that there is anything even remotely private about the internet really needs to wake up and smell the hackers.]]>Apr 30th 2008 2:35PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/"...after all this is free country and everyone is entitled to their personal opinion regardless of wheather its right or wrong...."

Actually, it is NOT a "free" country, it is a country with liberties and priveleges. For example, no one has the RIGHT to drive a car...it is a privelege which is sustained by maintaining certain criteria, not the least of which is a safe driving record, etc. Equally, it is not a guaranteed RIGHT to state one's opinion in a public forum
"...wheather [sp.Incor.] its right or wrong." This is a common falacy propounded by the un- or under-educated as to the interactive social principles of a Constitutional Republic. E.g., 'all white people are racist...' is an opinion and is thus considered inciteful and most likely a violation of the Terms of Service of any online forum; just as similar inciteful language can be cause for actual arrest in the 'real' public milieu. Federal and Supreme courts around the country (incl. the US Supreme Court) have ruled on this interpretation of Free Speech too many times to be debated by proponents of anarchical behavior. According to Law, when a person knowingly and willingly posts private or potentially inciteful or, g-d forbid, illegal information or activity on an open website forum, they are Ipso Facto posting this information into the Public Domain. Which means that anyone can see it, and utilize info gleaned from it (as it may or may not affect their lives, livelihood, or business and/or governmental operations). For example, you cannot disclose an "opinion" about a company policy where you work if that comment violates a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Period. You will have "breached contract" at that point. Many companies have moral/ethical clauses as terms of employment, and such have been upheld as legal by the courts. Let's say you work for a company that contracts with GE and donates to the SPLC (or any such company or non-profit group) and you then post on your MySpace/Facebook page pics of you at a Klan meeting, or showing off your most recent SS or Swastika tatoo. You are NOT just "stating a personal right or opinion" on a private webpage, you are IN FACT of Intent of Law, making a statement in the Public Domain (as if standing on a soapbox in the intersection of a busy street declaring your racism). These can be grounds for dismissal from employment and potentially grounds for inciteful "speech" or what is called "Hate Speech" in today's judicial vernacular.
Indeed, every private business (and gov't) has the option, by Right of Privelege to Perform Business, to terminate your employment "at will" IF you violate any terms of your employment contract. Those terms can be as immediate and proximate as 1. stealing from the company (called 'termination for Cause') or, 2. announcing in a publically accessible forum that you are a racist, ingaging in slander/libel/defamation of character of another, or 3. violating company policy. The delusional belief by so many people in our fine country that they can say or do anything they like whenever or wherever has been the cause of a decay in both ethical standards and economic stability. As a former Director of a major company who hired people based solely on resumes and oral interviews, I would have loved to have had the accessibility to such websites as Facebook or MySpace. I have had to fire people in the past who started to display behavior, ex post facto, that might very well have been predictable (as a matter of their DECLARED personality and interests) as seen on their webpages.
Here's a clue: don't put anything on your webpage that you wouldn't be willing, proud, or openly honest to say outloud in the "real" world.
~ M]]>Jan 26th 2009 11:19AMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Jan 26th 2009 2:39PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Jan 26th 2009 4:05PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 8th 2009 8:37PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 10th 2009 10:10PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/]]>Mar 10th 2009 10:14PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 11th 2009 11:49PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Mar 17th 2009 12:35AMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/
Arguably, if an employer grabs information off of a site in violation of posted terms, and that leads to termination of an employee, then the employee could sue the employer for violating the terms of the web site.

Even if the terms are not legally binding on the employer, they could be ethically binding. --Benjamin Wright, Dallas, Texas, http://hack-igations.blogspot.com]]>Nov 9th 2007 2:32PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Nov 13th 2007 3:55PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Feb 1st 2009 12:18PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Nov 13th 2007 5:09PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Nov 18th 2007 3:42PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/
As a teacher in a private school, I see many of my students and their parents outside of the school grounds and I have to constantly be aware of the possibility of running into them. I also know that if something were to get posted that was not appropriate I would run the risk of losing my job for not representing the school.

Why not just get rid of the facebook or myspace account? Then you don't run the risk of being caught while being stupid. Find something else to do--maybe call those friends instead of posting new photos and stories.]]>Nov 19th 2007 2:48PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/Nov 28th 2007 12:26PMhttp://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/http://www.switched.com/2007/11/08/your-facebook-or-myspace-profile-could-cost-you-your-job/
With that said however, I do not buy the whole mentality of "I can say what I want to in my blog and not have to face any consequences" either.

True the Constitution protects the rights of the individual with regards to freedom of speech. But if you say something slanderous or defamatory about the owner of or the company in general, the Constitution also gives your employer the right to say "you're fired."

With regards to things you post that are not related directly to your employer or the company, it's like my grandma always says: an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. Which means if you don't want your boss thinking your a drunken slut, don't post comments or pictures that lead to that conclusion.

And if you want to let the whole world know that you have extremely strong feelings about certain ethnic groups or religions - be my guest. But don't complain if someone gets offended.

When you were born no one guaranteed that you would get your way. No one guaranteed that nothing bad would ever happen to you. No one guaranteed that you would agree with my opinion. And no one guaranteed that you would have to like it.

But the fact remains this is my opinion. And I'm okay with it.]]>Dec 6th 2007 9:48PM