MySpace vs. Workplace

By Sanyika Calloway Boyce (past articles)
YOUNG MONEY Columnist

11/19/2007

Become a Fan of Young Money

Follow Young Money on Twitter

Email This Article

Print This Article

MySpace, FaceBook, LiveJournal, Bebo, and Xanga are just a few of the most popular social networking sites that have become a virtual mecca for everyone from aspiring musicians to everyday people wanting to connect with a larger world.

These online gathering places are ripe with information, photos, videos, blogs and personal profiles of users who are all proud to showcase their talent, give their opinions about everything from the war to their favorite potato chips and even vent their frustrations about their stupid boss who wears an oh-so-obvious hair piece.

Ruminations, musings and rapid-fire posts are the content that is king on these sites, but could your 4:00 a.m. admission about the wild party you had that got out of hand-which you've long since forgotten about-be the very thing that comes back to haunt you when looking to get accepted into graduate school, applying for an internship or fellowship or better yet, a well-deserved job?

Consider this, in October 2006 CareerBuilder.com surveyed more than 1,150 hiring managers about their hiring practices; 12 percent said they check out potential candidates' profiles on social networking sites as part of their screening process. Even scarier, at least 63 percent admitted to not hiring a job applicant based on what they found.

Yikes! Could your "innocent" picture of last year's over-the-top Halloween costume keep you from getting to the first rung of the corporate ladder, let alone the corner office? It could. Companies large and small are increasingly concerned about the image that they have with consumers and being seen as places where people will want to do business.

Last December, the popular restaurant chain The Olive Garden fired one of its general managers who'd worked with the company for more than 16 years. The firing was not caused by the employee's MySpace page, but rather her daughter's page.

Denise Petrella's daughter had posted pictures of her 18^th birthday party. The teen was told not to drink repeatedly by her mom so as a "dumb prank" she and a few of her friends grabbed empty beer bottles from the recycle bin and pulled Petrella into the pictures just for "fun."

Unfortunately, when the pictures came to the attention of her employer, the fun ended abruptly. Petrella had been recognized repeatedly by her company for her great work and was even highlighted in a company-wide media campaign just a few years prior. However, The Olive Garden felt that the images were damaging, as the girls in the pictures were underage and they represented this "family friendly" restaurant in a manner that was inconsistent with its brand.

Harsh? Maybe, but the action was well within The Olive Garden's legal rights, and it is not the only company taking such a stance. According to WiredSafety, a nonprofit organization specializing in Web security, employers now routinely scour the Internet for anything written or visual about their company online, especially anything, or anyone, that could damage the brand.

The "Vegas Rule" of "what happens here, stays here," no longer applies. What's said on MySpace is echoing all over the world and could affect you (and possibly your parents) in the workplace.

Here are a few steps for keeping your posts and pics from coming back to haunt you.

If you've posted something that is potentially questionable, delete it and your profile. It will be a bit of a drag but since most sites save your final contents in case you decide to reactivate this is the best way to wipe out the damaging profile and posts.
Often information online stays around indefinitely, so even after taking step one, you might need to go a step further and clear cached pages by asking Google to delete them. Find out how at searchengineland.com and type in "third party page removal" in the search box.
Be aware that at least 62 percent of employers monitor web activity on their company servers; meaning if you're visiting a site for personal reasons during work hours-or using work equipment-you could be nabbed for the content and fired for using company resources inappropriately.
If you've had something posted about you that could be damaging to your reputation ask the person to remove it. If they refuse, you could use a paid service like ReputationDefender.com that will help erase info for a fee of $29.95 per occurrence.

This is pretty serious stuff, so I suggest applying the golden rule to all Web posts, "If in doubt, don't." Don't risk it, because what's "innocent," "funny," or just a "dumb prank" to you or your friends could be viewed very differently by someone who has to make an admissions, hiring or firing decision concerning you.

In the fight of MySpace vs. Workplace, it seems like employers are winning-stay out of the crossfire and you'll be just fine.

Sanyika Calloway Boyce is the author of four books. She travels nationwide to educate, empower, entertain and enlighten students about money, credit and debt. This former debt-strapped college student shares real and relevant money messages that young adults can relate to and understand. Visit her online today at financialfitnesscoach.com.