Jessica is a sometimes-blogger and an active participant in social media discussions about nonprofits and philanthropy, Generation Y, entrepreneurship, and education reform. As a lucky graduate of two great schools (Arizona School for the Arts and Stanford University) she dreams of running a nonprofit that helps extend educational opportunity to as many students as possible. She’s a student in Nonprofit Management at the ASU Lodestar Center and spends her off-hours teaching local nonprofits and small business owners how to use social media effectively. You can find her on Twitter at @JessicaSadoway or on her blog.
__________
For many of you reading this blog, social media is something you grew up with. You use it to chat with your friends, play games, and browse embarrassing pictures. Great, isn’t it?
Tools like Facebook and Twitter are so basic to Generation Y that it’s easy to forget they’ve expanded to include not only our college roommates, but also our parents, our co-workers, and our bosses. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to how you handle yourself online.
TAKING THE GOOD WITH THE BAD
There are great things about social media. Maintaining a solid and expansive network of friends, co-workers, and mentors has never been easier.
It’s also very easy to step out of line and get noticed for it. It’s like recording your venting session at the water cooler, then sharing the video with all your friends and acquaintances – or at least leaving the video on the table so your boss can find it.
There is increasing debate over whether or not it’s legal to discipline an employee based on their private accounts. One example that was discussed in a recent eBranding Me post concerns the firing of an employee who was criticizing her boss on Facebook and the subsequent ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that her firing was illegal.
Whether or not it’s illegal, the fact is that while employees certainly have a right to talk to their friends, companies also have a right and a responsibility to protect their own best interests. This requires young professionals to take precautions and pause before you post.
BOTTOM-LINE ADVICE:
Here are a few tips and precautions you can take to ensure your online life helps instead of hinders you:
- Ask your HR department if they have a social media policy – and follow it!
The good news is it’s becoming more common to see social media policies to tell us clearly what is and isn’t okay. There are even online directories of policies that you can browse. They vary from strict to encouraging. Some common rules to see in a policy are things like not being allowed to identify as a representative of your company or not being allowed to talk about the company at all without prior consent. - Make sure your online identities reflect the “you” you want people to see.
Take the opportunity to use your social media profiles as free advertising. Edit your Twitter bio. Update your accomplishments on LinkedIn. Edit your Facebook profile. Think about who could potentially be looking at it. It could be a friend, a co-worker, a client, or your next job opportunity. - Use the privacy controls available to you.
Every network has some form of privacy controls on it, whether it’s privatizing your tweets on Twitter or building elaborate friends lists on Facebook. Make sure you know who can see what you post at all times, and even then it’s a good idea to keep sensitive discussions offline or in your private messages. - Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face.
When in doubt, err on the side of discretion. If there’s a serious problem, take it up with the person in question personally or consult your HR department.
This advice may seem like common sense, but it’s surprising how quickly people forget about the consequences when dealing with something as fast-paced as social media.
What are some of the ways you keep your social media presence in check? Do you have friends list? A personal policy of not connecting with co-workers online? Something else?
__________
Want to have your voice heard online? Guest Blog with eBranding Me: Click Here
Receive The Latest Posts Directly To Your Email – It’s Free:
