PSA: "Yes, Virginia. Facebook can get yo' blacque azz fired!"

Ayy yo,

Some of y'all hard working cotton-pickers and schiff-a-robe busters like to think that what you do on your own time is your own business, but that's not always the case.  Facebook and other social gathering sites are cool to use but they can have a nasty way of biting you in the seat of your pants if you're not careful.

I read about a guy recently, Nate Fulmer, a warehouse manager for chemical supplier Environmental Express, who along with his wife made fun of a local church sermon in a podcast they posted online in 2005. Fulmer said it got so much attention, that his boss listened to it, thought it was offensive, and fired him.

Dayum! 

Trust me when I tell ya, companies are looking at Facebook and are making decisions about you based on your posts, pics, and friend content.  Got a pic of you and your homies sparking up a blunt outside of the strip club?  Don't post it.   Got a story about how you and your girlz were getting 'skan-less' in Vegas one weekend with some guys that you just met?  Don't post it.  Got a few friends on there who like to rant and rave negatively about every ethnic group under the sun from time to time?  Remove them from your friend's list NOW.  Before you go off posting your heart out on Facebook, check your company's policy before posting anything online and steer clear of potentially offensive content, even if it has nothing to do with work.

Be careful on Facebook, y'all.  Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get back to my post by the door so that I can find out what other tricks Mr. Cholly's got up his sleeve for us. 

Umm - that's why they have privacy settings...... so you don't have to let just anybody see your bidness! LOL 

Don't want to burst your bubble, but privacy setting does not matter online, anything you post on Facebook or online CAN be found and used against you. As a software engineer NOTHING is private that you post online, anytime you post something you can be identified all computers have a computer names and IP addresses, it DOES NOT MATTER what your USERNAME IS...you can be identified if need be.

This is why the FBI and police have a strong presence on Face book, they try to identify online bullies and criminals, they don't need their REAL names to make an arrest or care if their profiles are private, they can find and track them by which computers they log on to.

I know about the law enforcement tip - that's a given.

However - I doubt a prospective employer would go into all the trouble of trying to track an IP down to see what you possibly posted on FB just for grins and giggles. 

Now, to investigate a current employee...... that might happen. 

No bubble to burst over here - I live in the virtual world - the financial virtual world.  Need to know how deep I understand data protection?  One concept - PCI compliance.  My company will be certified by June - I had to assist in the audit.  So, I get it.....believe me - I get it!  LOL 

  @ So, I get it.....believe me - I get it!  LOL 



Hey, I'm not sure MM whether you get it or not.  LOL.   I think I ought to have her run it by you again.

This has been going on for years ever since facebook was for students only.  Ever heard of George Orwell?  We are way past 1984 and Big Brother owns us now. 

I do not use my real name or regular email addres on social networks.  My page is blank cause I just can't get into making my business public.  I joined to view others only.  I may have made a post once.  I answer no on any form that asks if I use social networking cause its none of their damned business. 

Even with privacy settings I have found info people swore was not accesible.  You can't control anyone else's settings so your name gets attached to friends and friends of friends...    Before you know it a search on your name brings up all kinds of stuff. 

Your accounts should not reflect the real you if you want to avoid consequences.  Clean cut, straight laced, family friendly, nothing contoversial.  We only think we are entitled to an opinion. 

 

 

Word,

Thanks for the reminder...I keeps it real 'vanilla' on FB. There was a huge FB scandal in my company. 6 People were fired, I prob, do need to find out how to block some of my 'friend's" (and relatives) posts as some of them dont mind gettin real fool-like.

You are correct, FACE BOOK IS NOT as private as people think, I am a software engineer and I KNOW it is NOT safe to post things there unless, you are just posting about the weather, or how beautiful your garden and yard is..lol, but serious, what ever you post there IS NOT private and can be used against you, the FBI, Police and Employers are REGULARS on FACEBOOK, they are under cover. This is why I will NOT use Facebook to hang out and gossip on...

MSW..you mentioned

Even with privacy settings I have found info people swore was not accessible.  You can't control anyone else's settings so your name gets attached to friends and friends of friends...    Before you know it a search on your name brings up all kinds of stuff. 

Your accounts should not reflect the real you if you want to avoid consequences.  Clean cut, straight laced, family friendly, nothing controversial.  We only think we are entitled to an opinion. 

You are correct, Face book IS NOT the place to get on line and gossip and bully or harass or perform criminal acts -- it should be clean cut and rather boring lol....this is why I don't do Face book, lol unless I am on there to connect professionally with old colleague, classmates, and not on there to make Friends to gossip about people.