Mediaboss Marketing

By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on February 1, 2012

According to a new report, innocuous personal information on social networking sites can be grounds for job dismissal.

While most prospective job searchers understand that employers will usually review a site such as Facebook before tendering an offer of employment, many are unaware that posting what would seem to be “normal” pictures or discussion may result in job loss.

The report, found in a professional magazine of elementary school managers, describes the dismissal of an educator because the social network site showed an individual posing for a picture holding a glass of wine.

According to background information found in the article, school administrators are facing a growing dilemma resulting from social networking that goes beyond preventing cyber-bullying among students.

Administrators also faced with balancing the rights of privacy and free speech of educators with what should be the appropriate behavior of teachers as role models.

In the article, published in the January issue of Principal Navigator, Janet Decker, Ph.D., said a large number of educators have been fired for Internet activity.

“Despite the evolving issues, the courts have not provided extensive guidance for administrators,” writes Decker. “Part of the difficulty is that technology advances at a quicker pace than legal precedent, leaving school employees and administrators unsure of their legal responsibilities.”

Decker’s article highlights cases that have landed in court as a result of school policies on social networking that “were not clear or effective.” The article also examines the law surrounding sexual harassment or abuse of students and freedom of speech for public employees and employee privacy.

“In general, it is important to understand that school employees are expected to be role models both inside and outside of school – even while on Facebook,” concluded Decker.

Decker’s article features the following 10 recommendations as she encourages school administrators to implement technology policies for school employees:

Educate! It’s not enough to have written policies; schools should also offer professional development about these issues. By doing so, staff is notified about the expectations and they have a chance to digest and ask questions about the content of the policies. Be empathetic in policies and actions. Administrators may wish that the school’s computers will only be used for educational purposes; however, an expectation such as this is unrealistic. Create separate student and staff policies. Much of the law pertaining to students and staff differs greatly. Involve staff in policy creation. This process will help school employees comprehend the policies and will also likely foster staff buy-in. Be clear and specific. Policies should include rationales, legal support and commentary with examples. Ensure your policies conform to state and federal law. Include consequences for violations in policies and implement the consequences. Provide an avenue for appeal and attend to employees’ due process rights. Implement policies in an effective and non-discriminatory manner. Amend policies as the law evolves. Much of the law related to technology is in flux. What is legal today may not be tomorrow.

Although the recommendations are directed toward an educational setting, the suggestions are appropriate for managers in a variety of professional settings. Moreover, employees of a business or institution must be knowledgeable on company policy to ensure compliance and avoidance of unintentional actions.

Source: University of Cincinnati

APA Reference
Nauert PhD, R. (2012). Online Social Networking May Cause Job Loss. Psych Central. Retrieved on February 3, 2012, from http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/02/01/online-social-networking-may-cause-job-loss/34323.html

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Online Social Networking May Cause Job Loss

Facebook, the social networking giant that connects 845 million people to one another, may be a jolly gabfest for the self-assured. But for those who suffer from low self-esteem, it appears to be a rather nasty trap, luring such people into self-disclosures that prompt many a Facebook friend to agree with their low opinion of themselves.

A new study, set to be published in the journal Psychological Science, explored the dynamics of friendship on Facebook to see what benefits or pitfalls the site might offer to a population that could use the propping up of a few new friends: those who think poorly of themselves, fear judgment by others and are prone to social isolation and depression.

Enlisting a slew of undergraduates for three separate studies, they found that those with low self-esteem are encouraged and emboldened by Facebook's capacity to provide a forum for social interaction that doesn't risk awkward face-to-face communication. They established that, given the opportunity for such social interaction, those with low-esteem do engage in the kind of self-disclosure that is thought essential for friendships to take hold and deepen.

But they also gleaned that the messages broadcast to Facebook friends by those with low self-esteem follow a pattern seen in their face-to-face interactions: Like Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore, they tend to issue glum, pessimistic status updates. And among strangers and Facebook friends alike, those dreary Facebook postings did not inspire a desire to make or deepen a friendship with the person.

In short, much as those with a low negative self-image could use the friends, they tend to use Facebook "in a manner that may push others away," wrote the authors, a group of psychologists from the University of Waterloo in Canada.

"It is ironic that feeling safe enough to disclose on Facebook may encourage [those with low esteem] to disclose things that could lead to the very rejection they fear," the authors conclude.

In a finding that many readers may recognize, the group further discovered that when people with a high opinion of themselves issue status updates that are discouraged, sad or angry (in short, when their posts defy expectations), their Facebook friends tend to swarm them with expressions of comfort and support. On the bright side, when those with low self-regard post updates that are uncharacteristically upbeat, they too are rewarded with electronic expressions of friendship.

"We do not advocate being inauthentic," the authors write. But if social networkers who lack self-confidence want to use Facebook to get around their social anxieties, they might want to accentuate the positive. "Rather than posting phony positive updates, [those with low self-esteem] might try sharing more of the positive things that do happen to them, and try being selective about what negative things they post."

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Facebook: Is this any place for the not-so-self-assured to make friends?

19-12-2011 18:19 http://www.CherysOnlineGamePlan.com 5 Top Social Networking Sites / Why You Should Use Them Using Social Networking sites can help you generate qualified leads for your home based business, I have set some guidelines below you to get some ideas to help you get started. Facebook is the most popular social networking site where you can connect with friends and family. People use Facebook to keep up with friends, download and look at others photo's, it is a great way to meet new friends. They even have a chat feature you can use while on the site. Facebook also allows users to create pages for businesses, products, or brands. You can create your Facebook fan page to promote yourself, your home based business or just about anything of interest to you and others. Twitter is a micro blogging site, which means people can get there ideas out without spending much time doing it. Twitter limits answers to 140 characters. A nice feature with twitter is that you can get tweets on you computer or your mobile phone. If you have a home based business you can put your link into your message, this is an excellent way to get free exposure for yourself, especially if you have a few followers. Myspace is loosing popularity but it is still a great place to meet new friends. They have enabled you to integrate your activity to your Twitter and Facebook accounts, to attract and show others that you are still on myspace. You can share messages, photo's, promote movies, listen to music and write blogs on ...

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30-01-2012 17:09 Forgot to de-friend your wife on Facebook while posting vacation shots of your mistress? Her divorce lawyer will be thrilled. Oversharing on social networks has led to an overabundance of evidence in divorce cases. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81 percent of its members have used or faced evidence plucked from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn, over the last five years. "Oh, I've had some fun ones," said Linda Lea Viken, president-elect of the 1600-member group. "It's very, very common in my new cases." Facebook is the unrivaled leader for turning virtual reality into real-life divorce drama, Viken said. Sixty-six percent of the lawyers surveyed cited Facebook foibles as the source of online evidence, she said. MySpace followed with 15 percent, followed by Twitter at 5 percent. About one in five adults uses Facebook for flirting, according to a 2008 report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. But it's not just kissy pix with the manstress or mistress that show up as evidence. Think of Dad forcing son to de-friend mom, bolstering her alienation of affection claim against him. "This sort of evidence has gone from nothing to a large percentage of my cases coming in, and it's pretty darn easy," Viken said. "It's like, `Are you kidding me?'" Neither Viken, in Rapid City, SD, nor other divorce attorneys would besmirch the attorney-client privilege by revealing the identities of clients, but ...

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01-02-2012 20:20 Forbes editors on what you need to know about the social networking giant's bottom line. Forbes Markets: http://www.forbes.com The Tech Trade: blogs.forbes.com Social Markets: blogs.forbes.com

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