How to be a Star Employee on Social Media

I came across this article via Twitter and, of course, it prompted a blog post!  The news is full of stories about people who were fired from or lost the opportunity for a job because of their behavior on social media sites.  Super cautious never hurt anybody, though.  I think it was Kevin McNulty with Netweave Social Networking (during his seminar for Chamber members earlier this year) who said, “If you wouldn’t feel comfortable putting it on a billboard while your mother was filming it for the news, don’t post it online.”

Post Work Stuff During Work Hours, Family and Friends After Work
Ever since email became prevalent, people have used it for personal needs during work hours. And it’s pretty hard to get caught.  The same is not true of social networking because of the time stamp.  It’s so easy to get engaged in conversations, photo viewing, and the like.  It’s a struggle to keep a strong work ethic with so much temptation at your fingertips, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Always be Positive About Your Work / Never Criticize Your Manager or Management
I was on Facebook the other night and saw a post from an old high school friend who lives in another state.  His status update was something to the effect of, “I’m so tired of working for the devil.  It may be time to decide if I should stay at this job of eight years just to draw a paycheck or if I should get out of this horrible place and be happy.”  I was shocked!  I’d read about such happenings but had never actually seen one so blatantly stated.  I peeked at his employer (couldn’t help myself, really) and then did a facebook search.  Not only does his company have a fan page, but at least a half dozen people who work there are on his friends list!  Any one of them could pass that on.

So consider this your friendly reminder.  Whatever is put on the Internet stays there for life!  And you may think privacy settings are protecting you, but there are definitely ways around them.