| Social media stuff ups have hit the headlines again this | | | | put up on the web is there for the world to see, the |
| week, with reports of more staff being fired from U.S. | | | | web is a permanent record, it is not anonymous! If you |
| companies for publishing stupid and compromising | | | | put something up in a public forum like Facebook, |
| pictures of themselves on the web. | | | | MySpace, tweet about it or post a video to flickr, its |
| The Sydney Morning Herald reports that some large | | | | there for good. Why? Because search engines like |
| firms are hiring local companies to monitor their online | | | | Google will cache web pages, so your information will |
| reputation, and have raised questions about the ethics | | | | be out there, long after any given web page is taken |
| of such activities, like investigating staff profiles. Some | | | | down. |
| companies could face litigation in Australia for unfair | | | | This could be great for raising the standards of |
| dismissal if they choose to act upon seemingly | | | | personal accountability - maybe if we know we're |
| inappropriate conduct by employees. As activities, | | | | being watched all the time, we might act like it, and |
| comments and conversations undertaken in an | | | | society's behaviour might get adjusted accordingly. |
| employees own time, in a private setting, and are a | | | | Then again, maybe we will just get used to lower |
| part of personal life, some would say that they should | | | | standards, if everyone knows everything about |
| be beyond the reach of the employer. | | | | everyone else, then it becomes a level playing field, |
| Right or wrong, personal life or business, whatever you | | | | just maybe. |