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When personal and professional worlds collide: Social networking and blogging
08 Sep 2008
Employees are entitled to a private life but what can happen when they decide to go public with it? Far less dramatic than applying to go on X-Factor and not as kudos-creating as getting your name in the local paper for championing charity work, many people are using the internet to publish details about their personal lives and unwittingly jeopardise their career prospects.
Recently some high-profile employees have become the victims of their own 'fame' and performed hari-kari on their own careers. The Scotsman detailed the sacking of Arlington mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist over her MySpace photograph depicting her in her underwear. Officials were of the opinion the photograph was "not fitting" for the mayor to be seen in this light, the newspaper said.
Closer to home, police inspector Chris Dreyfus of British Transport Police had the offer of a promotion withdrawn after he posted "graphic details about his gay lifestyle and photographs showing him posing in his uniform at a London tube station" on Facebook, according to the BBC.
According to a report by the Times, graduates are at risk of being turned down for their first jobs because of the information they include on their networking pages. The report suggested that the disparity between student life and what is perceived as professional behaviour can be clearly monitored through the playful crudeness and unrestrained social antics that young people post on their pages.
Employers are looking and taking notes. A common practice in recruitment is to Google a candidate; social networking sites could be a gift to an agency looking for distinguishing factors between candidates up for the same job.
"For the majority of us, perhaps it is not a case of ending your relationship with social networking, but instead simply time to 'clean up' your account," wrote Times reporter Emma Broomfield.
"Deleting those drunken photos and removing the What serial killer are you? application takes little effort and could spell the difference between getting your dream job and not."
For example, take a look at what Facebook groups you belong to and ask yourself if they respresent the full breadth of your interests. Monitor what your friend are posting to your page and either ask them to stop sending inappropriate information or, as Ms Broomfield suggests, create a personal and professional account.
With blogging, it is possible the only real protection is to stay anonymous. It worked for London prostitute Belle de Jour, and while it can be frustrating not to get the acknowledgement you feel you deserve for your insightful polemic and creativity, it's altogether safer.
Still, acording to Personnel Today: "Used well, blogs can enhance your corporate reputation.
"Whether your organisation blogs, or has no intention of doing so, our expert advises that you create a blogging policy anyway so that you can still encourage people to blog, while ensuring your employer brand is protected."
However much the average user reveals or keeps private on social networking websites, just using them while at work can land employees in hot water. Recent research by Global Secure Systems revealed that British firms are paying for e-socialising to the tune of £6.5 billion a year.
Many companies have an internet policy and some are now including specific clauses about the use of sites such as Facebook and Bebo. Larger companies are enlisting their technical departments to block these sites or monitor access to them by company equipment.
However the interesting news is that some sectors are taking the social networking idea on board – not all of these sites are taboo. LinkedIn, for example, is a networking community to link professionals and has taken many cues from the likes of Facebook.
Yet the bottom line is that the key to keeping professional and personal lives separate is common sense. Take control of your image and reputation and reap the rewards.