Social Media Responsibility 101

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Business man hold earth of social network In this day and age, social media has become more important to our daily lives than ever. Every morning check of Facebook has become as routine as breakfast and coffee and with the ever increasing level of ease in using this type of media through our phones, music players and even cars. There is no doubt of its immersion into our daily lives. This comes with a price, however, that many do not fully comprehend until it is too late. There is a responsibility inherent in social media that those who are new to it and for some who have been around it for very long and are set in their ways, are just unable to deal with.

Employers hire people who can not only do the job that is requested of them, but also represent them in the best possible light. A company could easily hire nothing but ex-cons who are good at their jobs, but a company doing that might suffer from a public portrayal that would be negative in nature. For this reason, they have a vested interest in keeping up with how their employees are seen in the community. If you work in a job where your responsibility includes the care of minors or otherwise mentally or physically incapable, you will be held to a responsibility that will include a moral compass to not only the words you post but pictures, media and even things posted on your page not by you. Teachers have been fired all over the country for having a picture of them holding a wine glass or beer bottle and employees have been let go for venting in an open forum where their boss could see.

When using social media, there are a few rules you should keep in mind:

  • Never post anything about your current employer that can be seen by anyone who works for or knows someone who works for that company. Word spreads quickly, and if you happen to post something about your boss and another employee sees it, it could be a matter of time before they leak that information. Make sure you keep those posts private to you and a handful of trustworthy friends, or better yet, don’t post it at all.
  • Be wary of adding your bosses. Bosses like to keep up with employees and many pride themselves in being friendly with them. Avoid letting them see your social media, however, unless you are diligent about keeping it clean. One wrong post and you could find yourself being unemployed in a hurry.
  • Never post anything showing you doing something illegal. Too many have posted pictures of themselves smoking, or in other ways imbibing illegal substances, and have not only lost their jobs, but possibly their freedom as well. Don’t forget, your posts are on the internet, and anyone can see them. Drug testing is a norm at many offices and jobs; don’t give them a reason to think they should be testing you again.

By Marie Larsen