You are what you post! Be careful!
 

We all know, you are what you post but according to the following article, it is more than myspace and blogs which can potentially hurt you. We all think in terms of short term "harm" like your chances at greek life (if you are going through recruitment) or hurt your chances at a job, so everyone should take note! Your life after college might need some editing before you start sending out resumes!

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine...3/b3977071.htm

Denise

And that is why I'm not on Facebook or MySpace. The last thing I need is for my employer to find something they don't like in my online profile and use it against me.

I've viewed MySpace profiles for friends and sorority sisters and I just have to shake my head sometimes. There's pictures of them throwing up over a toilet after a long night of partying, pictures of them passed out on a bar, pictures of them with a joint in their hand, blog entries about them getting completely wasted the night before and "getting wasted" being listed as one of their interests.

Now, those who know me know I certainly like to go out and have my fair share of drinks but I try to keep the incriminating evidence to a bare minimum. It's so easy to look up someone's MySpace profile. Type their name into the search function and their profile comes up. I dunno...I just wouldn't want my boss to see a picture of me drunk and dancing on top of a bar. Yet, so many of my friends have pictures of themselves like that on MySpace. These are friends that have full-time jobs or are currently looking for one.

I just wouldn't want what I have on my MySpace profile to keep me from getting a job or get me fired.

Re: You are what you post! Be careful!
 

This subject really really pisses me off. Why should an employer give a damn about what an employee does outside of work? It's really none of their business, unless what they're doing is effecting their work performance. People with full-time jobs have been getting wasted and dancing on top of bars for many many years. So why should this stuff be held against us today?

Re: Re: You are what you post! Be careful!
 

Does it piss you off that employers do background checks?? What's the difference?? They're looking for the BEST candidate for the job, and if it comes down to two equal people, but one of the two is indiscreet enough to have rauchy/inappropriate pics on the Web, which do you think is going to get hired? Plus, if they are that indiscreet about what they post about THEMSELVES on the Web, how are they going to represent your comapany?? Are you going to go onto the Web later and serach for your company name (trust me, employers do it) and be happy when the employee you hired that had pics all over MySpace now has you listed as their employer and your name comes up listed next to pics of the employee pole dancing or pukeing....

Re: Re: Re: You are what you post! Be careful!
 

That really wouldn't bother me....which is one of the reasons why I'm not corporate material. I would not want my employees to be criminals and I'm glad there are ways that I can find that out. I dunno, I just don't see partying as a really bad thing, and I'm not the drink-until-you-puke kind of person at all. It's not a really good thing either, but I think there's bigger fishes to fry.

Re: Re: You are what you post! Be careful!
 

Say you work at a very conservative company with big-named clients. Hypothetically, you're at a bar one night and you get wasted. You tell everyone where you work in between making out with guys. An executive from one of your company's clients just so happens to be at the bar that night. He sees this scene you're making and decides to stop doing business with your company since he feels the employees are completely unprofessional. This was a multi-million dollar client.

Of course, this is a big hypothetical but it's every company's worst nightmare. If a company finds out that you like to get wasted every weekend and make an ass out of yourself, you are a liability to them. I agree that what you do on your own time should have no bearing on your professional life but, unfortunately, it does. You never know who is watching you.

Luckily for me, my profession is full of alcoholics and horndogs. I kid, but not very much.

Here's a stupid question. If you don't use your actual name in your myspace or webshots profile, how can people find you? Wouldn't they have to be trolling the web just looking for stuff like that? (Not that anyone would ever do that unless they were really sick and twisted) One of my coworkers has a webshots w/ tons of pics of us partying, but I don't know how you could find it unless you have her user name. She doesn't have location or anything.

I mean, the only times I've used my full name is on that Greek quotes site that used to be up, and letters to the editor that are in the public domain. Why would you be so stupid as to say "Hi! My name is Dalia Terino. Here is my personal blog full of pics of me having sex!" Yeah, forget hiring a person like that - just because they're stupid. Not because of what they choose to do in their free time.

Edited because I am old and temporarily mixed up MySpace & Webshots - I do know the diffference though. :)

I don't think they can. But, if someone posts enough information about themselves it isn't hard to find out who they are. But, like you said they would have to be fishing around and looking at random profiles to do that. You may or may not find the target person using that strategy.

Ha Ha thats great! In the future Human Resource directors are going to have to troll around myspace and livejournal before doing final interview.

LOL at the thought of our HR person having to troll through things like the Hello Kitty lovers LJ community. She would off herself first.

The only thing I can think of about this is - how easy is it to figure out who a rushee is when they come on here and give us a little info...although that's a unique situation when you have a limited amount of people to choose from.

Unless she's got any info about your company on there, I wouldn't be too worried.

Yeah, I think finding out about a rushee is an entirely different matter because we've got people calling people and such. An HR director isn't going to do that.

I could care less if the whole city sees our pics, quite frankly. There's nothing embarrassing on there.

I think we're all looking at the internet from a negative perspective. Let's just turn this around a bit. Why not use MySpace and other websites as a positive PR tool? What better place to post your accomplishments?

As someone who has had to deal with the myspace/facebook/webshots issue in depth, trust me, it doesn't take rocket scientists to figure out who people are, or find someone who will give your identity up. There was a piece on CNN about this same sort of thing this weekend, and it's true. Don't post on myspace what you wouldn't put on your front door...and I just don't get the whole posting of photos of yourself drunk/naked, etc. I guess I'm just getting old :)

this is exactly why i asked if someone knew about making myspace profiles only visible to friends

myspace is just so much fun, i don't want to get rid of it, besides, i'm sure i don't have anything tooo bad like what is discussed on this thread

I'd like to note here that I have (a) a security clearance and (b) lots of pictures of me drinking in morally questionable clothing on my MySpace profile.

Every security interview and polygraph has included a statement that effectively says, "We understand you're in your 20s and you have friends and you go out occasionally."

What they're worried about is illegal activity. And I'm not worried about a picture of me smoking a joint surfacing, because I don't smoke them.

Don't worry. Just don't post pictures of yourself giving blowjobs, snorting a line of coke, or posting pictures of your new boob implants. I was looking at the GC myspace profiles a couple of days ago, and one GCer had a friend with a picture of her big ass boobies. :eek:

I understand where you're coming from and that's great that you work at a company where they get that a 20-something is going to do questionable stuff from time-to-time. Unfortunately, not every company is that understanding and it's because of this that people need to be careful as to what is on their personal profiles.

oops, i better take off that whip cream licking photo i have on myspace ;)

just use common sense. either turn yourself into a 14 year old and make it private or quit being such a skank.

Those were my big ass boobies.

Actually, that was kind of my point - the security clearance is through the gov't, so this is MULTIPLE companies, defense contractors, gov't agencies, etc. Not just one itty bitty liberal company.

I guess my point is, this kind of falls under 33girl's thing she always brings up when people talk about drinking in letters. If it's THAT BAD that the people at work can't possibly know you're doing it, maybe you shouldn't be doing it. Your collegues probably expect that you're out drinking every once in awhile. They probably do not expect that you're out smoking pot every once in awhile.

my livejournal and facebook are only visible to friends and I don't put my whole life out on those things. You have to keep some things private.

Not sure what campus wrote this article but got it throught he AFA listserv.


Facebook displays questionable activities
Eyes watch as students describe drinking, weapons possession
By Susie Wahrman/Correspondent
Published: 3/21/06 DailyTargum
Students can join groups on Facebook that express their every thought and desire, without considering who can read the information, which is why The New York Times in January labeled college students as the "Tell-All Generation."

With Facebook's party feature, students can advertise the times and locations of big parties, or advertise underage drinking and drug-use.

But there are consequences to these "Tell-All" Web sites.

The Rutgers Facebook group entitled "Weed is Good," for example, boasts 602 members. In addition, there are 10 Rutgers Facebook groups that support marijuana use and dozens more that support other forms of illegal substances.

In January, The Pennslyvania State University's campus police used Facebook information to close down a party, and many attendees were penalized for underage drinking. Similarly, in Alabama, three students were suspected earlier this month of setting fires to churches as a result of a Facebook message that said it was "time to reconvene the season of evil."

According Facebook's main page, "Facebook is an online directory that connects people through social networks at schools." It was created to help students get to know each other, and not as a security device.

Along with peer site MySpace, Facebook has recently been used for security purposes - in Colorado, a 16-year-old boy was arrested earlier this month when police saw pictures on MySpace of the teenager holding handguns. The weapons were later found in the boy's home.

To a lesser degree, University users also advertise their misdemeanors, complete with vulgarity.

For example, one University Facebook group has a student commenting on a message board, "Drunk and disorderly … it happens."

Other students, including underage ones, have Facebook profile pictures with them holding alcoholic beverages. This trend has become so popular one University Facebook group is entitled "Holding a Drink in Your Facebook Picture Does Not Make You Cool."

Users of Facebook can be punished not just for illegal activities, but also for their indiscretion as well.

John Brown University student Michael Guinn, for example, was recently kicked out of his college because of pictures he posted on Facebook of himself dressed in drag. John Brown is a private religious college, and watchful of its student population.

No disciplinary action of this kind has occurred at the University.

Anyone with a University email address can read any other University profile - and 115 faculty members and 333 staff members have Rutgers Facebook accounts, which means faculty members can easily access the profiles of their students.

With a few clicks and Facebook's Advanced Search option, any University can read a full report of any given student, possibly including pictures of a student or a link to his or her personal blog.

Many Facebook groups discuss lusting after certain professors and hating others, and the professors can easily read stories written about them that are never written anonymously.

Last spring, after criticizing their coaches on Facebook, two Louisiana State swimmers were kicked off the team.

A Rutgers Facebook group entitled "Facebook Stalkers" describes how students look up profiles of random people and keep up on all of their personal information. "Facebook makes it possible," the group's description reads.

Many students at the University feel they should not be punished for what they put online, since they consider the site is a private domain that should not be censored.

But other students said people should watch what they post. These students, such as Douglass College first-year Samantha Ehrlich, said anyone who does not realize how easy it is to access information on Facebook is "ignorant."

Ehrlich - who does not post her phone number or address on Facebook or the blog option on her MySpace profile - added, "People who would put personal information online for public viewing are naive."

"Why would they want other people reading their personal thoughts?" she asked.

Here's my question. What ever happened to code words? I mean, I think back and we could have easily had facebook groups with school or sorority specific code words that everyone there would have gotten and known what it was, but no one else would.

Use imagination people! :)

Ah, code words. At my work we actually do use code words when referring to certain things that may seem unbecoming of us.

So in other words, don't use your real name or identifying information.

btw, I'm realy a Delta Gamma from U of O :)

Awesome S & S, that's what my dad would look like blogging.

I agree with you here. I have a myspace account but it's a private profile & the pics I have are all mild (not that I have any crazy ones) but I would never post a pic of myself drinking if I did drink. That's just wrong. I don't get people that have semi-naked pics of themselves all over the place & have over 300 friends of which only about 20 are people they actually know.

Barnhart warns athletes about Facebook photos
Athletic director 'definitely not kidding,' athlete says
By: Tim Wiseman and Adam Sichko
Issue date: 1/30/06 Section: Campus News
The Kentucky Kernel (The University of Kentucky)

UK athletic director Mitch Barnhart gathered all of UK's student-athletes in Memorial Coliseum in a late-night meeting Wednesday and warned them about posting inappropriate photos on the Internet Web site Facebook.com.

Barnhart had been planning the meeting for a couple of weeks, said UK Athletics spokesman Scott Stricklin. UK has about 500 student-athletes, counting scholarship athletes and walk-ons, he said.

"This was not spur-of-the-moment," Stricklin said.

"He wanted to make sure they knew what was expected of them and that they understood what their responsibilities were as far as wearing the Blue and White," he said. "As much as there may have been problems, he wanted to make sure there weren't any problems, to make sure they know people are watching.

"He wanted to make sure he had their attention."

The Kernel first reported this story Friday afternoon on its Web site, www.kykernel.com.

Facebook is a social network Web site that allows students, faculty and staff of colleges across the nation to post profiles and pictures, link themselves to "friends" and join social groups. In its Dec. 9 issue, The Kernel reported how UK's administration has been using incriminating Facebook photos to convict students of alcohol-related violations.

"(Barnhart) had some things he shared with them to make sure they knew how he felt about it," Stricklin said. "He keeps pretty good tabs on what's going on, both good and bad."

Softball junior Brooke Marnitz said Barnhart's message carried a serious tone.

"He didn't give any specifics other than he can take away your financial aid or suspend you indefinitely," Marnitz said. "No matter what the coaches say, he said it's under his discretion.

"He made it seem like he was definitely not kidding around," she said.

Barnhart expressed concerns about the bad publicity that could result from misconduct displayed on the Internet, Marnitz said.

"I think some people, their conduct is not what it should be, and that upset him the most," Marnitz said. "He doesn't want the athletic department to become a headline. You see a lot of people jump on, 'Oh, an athlete did this.'

"He's just trying to protect the athletes, the school and the department," she said.

Student-athletes should respond to this warning, Marnitz said.

"I hope people take him seriously," she said. "I hope they open their eyes."

Gymnastics senior Staci O'Keefe said Barnhart told the student-athletes he doesn't want to ban their use of such Internet sites as Facebook.com.

"He just doesn't want anything portrayed that shouldn't be," O'Keefe said. "He told us to look at what's on the Internet, and if it's not representing UK well, then it shouldn't be out there."

O'Keefe said she doesn't think many people are having to make major changes.

"It's not like people are erasing everything," she said. "I'm not changing anything."

Stricklin said the meeting served as a reminder of the responsibilities that come with being a student-athlete at UK.

"Five hundred individuals between 18 and 22, there's always the need to remind all of them," Stricklin said.

"We have people who are monitoring these sites. So don't put anything up there you don't want us to know."

If you're doing something illegal, don't be stupid enough to have photographic evidence of it and post it publicly.

That includes undersage drinking. Yes, you're going to do it, yes, I did it. But don't take indisputable evidence of it and show it to the world then get upset when you get busted.

Doesnt this once again show that What We consider Young Adults actually arent and need a guiding Hand?:(

So, where are the guiding hands?:(

Guiding hand? Try common sense.

Just like the idiots who videotape themselves committing a crime or other weird stuff.... if you're stupid enough to create even more evidence of your crime, you deserve to get caught and I can't feel sorry for you.

I still don't see how you can charge someone with anything, based on a photo. My favorite example is John Belushi chugging a bottle of Jack Daniels in Animal House...we have no proof that was Jack Daniels, it was just the same color. It could have been iced tea. The same with a picture of someone holding up a beer bottle to their lips - they may not have even drank from it! It may have been an old beer bottle from 1992! And don't even get me started on PhotoShop.

That's kind of like cops trying to give you a DUI 2 days after you drove home. It just doesn't wash, and if any of these students were smart enough to know their rights the schools wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

"As of 2005, 15 states do not specifically ban underage consumption and an additional 15 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage consumption laws. Federal law explictly provides for religious, medical, employment and private club possession exceptions; as of 2005, 31 states have family member and/or location exceptions to their underage possession laws. "

Each state is different supposedly so while the purchase of the alcohol might be illegal, the consumption may be legal.

-Rudey

lol that is funny. anyways, I personally have facebook and my space accounts, but I don't post anything that is illegal or stupid(okay, maybe a few pictures of friends and I downing a few, but not anything like streaking around campus naked or something). Just watch the stuff you post online and don't post anything that can be used against you (aka pix of puking, passed out, or whatever illegal stuff).

oh yeah. I'm in Grand Rapids, MI and this was in the news

clicky

I guess there are something to be learned here?

Wayne Hsieh
DT 109
Lambda Chi Alpha

Apparently it is don't be involved in extracurricular activities and you cannot get in trouble at that school.
Honestly, unless is was a group gather specifically for an "extracurricular activity" then it is not the schools place to punish the students. It should be the parents who displine kids, but apparently like everything else the school has become the parent.

see I grew up outside of the US and it was quite common for the school to discipline kids(teacher can hit students, in fact, my own grand mother told my teacher that hitting is okay in her eyes) Anyways back to topic. People just have to watch what the put in the online sites because it is a PUBLIC forum and anyone can see it(unless only friends can see it or whatever). Still, I personally wouldn't put pictures like puking or passed out online, period.

Wayne Hsieh
DT 109
Lambda Chi Alpha