The Wall Street Journal had an article by Rachel Emma Silverman called, “Facebook and Twitter Postings Cost CFO His Job” that is a warning to us all. Gene Morphis lost his good job because of tweets and posts on Facebook that got him in trouble. One post on Facebook, which you can still see on his wall , was “Earnings released. Conference call completed. How do you like me now Mr. Shorty?” The article also mentions an example of a damaging tweet that is no longer on his Twitter account: “Dinner w/Board tonite. Used to be fun. Now one must be on guard every second.” He’s obviously an opinionated person, as his blog shows, but sharing work-related opinions publicly was definitely not a wise thing to do. Seeing the consequences of his actions reminds us that we all have to remember that there is a line between professional and personal expression. Sure, it’s tempting to post what we feel to our friends on Facebook, and we might feel comfortable enough in our jobs to post our opinions on Twitter, but we have to have self control when it comes to the Internet. I know people who regularly review their Facebook and Twitter accounts and delete anything that might sound unprofessional. It’s a good idea because what we think is benign can end up being damaging.
So take a good look at all your social media today: are there any photos or posts that might get you in trouble? If in doubt, delete.
