Real life Facebook warning

[justLisa]

He felt that posting about it in this way (photographs of her lying in the gutter, etc.) showed poor judgement. As I said, he drinks and (I suspect) drinks hard. He has to think, however, about the company's image. If someone is that indiscreet then that could affect the company.

 

Hiring a person is subjective. It's bound to be. This is a three-person office - do you think he didn't exclude others during the process because he just didn't feel that he wanted to spend time with them?

 

Laura

 

Well I agree with that entirely. Company image is important and I wouldn't know why someone would even post things like that for all to see anyways.

[*Michelle*]

Checking people online makes it very easy (too easy) for people to discriminate based on their personal likes and dislikes...

 

No matter how you spin it it is a violation of a person's right to refuse them employment etc on grounds of those issues.

 

Everyone discriminates based on their personal likes and dislikes. If I own a company, I'm not going to hire someone I don't like. It's my job to offer. No one is entitled to work for me.

 

The EEOC is very specific in what is covered. Having a rowdy internet profile is not.

[Laura Corin]

Regardless of your personal situation with your employment, I still do NOT agree with online profiling when making decisions about other people.

 

What if she had bought space on a billboard and plastered it with the same pictures. Would that not show indiscretion? Should that also be ignored?

 

I'm trying to work out if the Internet is a special case.

 

Laura

[ondreeuh]

I think it SUCKS that employers can infringe on your personal privacy.

 

If I want to get drunk on Friday night so what. If I can pull myself together and never bring it to the office then so what.

 

What's next?

 

I mean if you have some high profile job, sure you don't want to make an *ss of yourself all around town. But really I wouldn't want an employer checking up on me in my personal time.

 

I agree. I feel the same way about employers getting references from people you don't list on the application. The last time I applied for a job, a neighbor who worked there was asked about me. I hsve nothing to hide, but I barely knew him. I got the job, but I wasn't I impressed with their hiring practices. What if he confused me with someone else, or misinterpreted my actions? Totally unfair for his opinion to be given weight.

[4kidlets4me]

I know of a man who was applying to work in the jail of our local police department. During the interview process, they brought him to a computer and asked him to log into his Facebook page. So even if he'd set his profile to private, they interviewer could still see it. It also doesn't give the interviewee a chance to clean up his profile first.

 

Personally, I find this an invasion of privacy. On the other hand, it is probably a very effective way to screen out people with poor judgement.

 

 

:iagree:that is an invasion of privacy. Personally I would refuse to hand over my Facebook password no matter how bad I wanted a job. I don't want to work for a company that is so concerned what I have posted on my private page.

[justLisa]

:iagree:that is an invasion of privacy. Personally I would refuse to hand over my Facebook password no matter how bad I wanted a job. I don't want to work for a company that is so concerned what I have posted on my private page.

 

See that's what I mean. I get if you're spewing yourself all over the place, but a private website/page? No way

[Element]

Not only warn your children of this, warn your husbands! I see some of my friends DH's post some political/social/ect stuff all the time on FB. It's just not smart, you may have an HR person in the future who can see your "likes" or even your page and disagree with you.

 

SO TRUE.

[TravelingChris]

I live in a world with basically no privacy and that is what I have taught my kids. Dh has clearances, lets say, and we don't have privacy. I have learned not to let it bother me. We aren't doing stupid things but we know our neighbors are asked about us, our bank records are checked, probably the internet, etc, etc. The kids knew this from an early age. I remember showing my young son the base security police coming to escort a family off the base because the teen son had marijuana in the base lodging. Everytime we drive onto a base we agree to searches- they are hardly ever done- but just driving on base means we have agreed. We made a bargain with the government- dh has a good paying job and will get retirement and we have no privacy and no ability to choose where we will be living. It is a choice you make.\

 

There are jobs where no one cares about your past and there are ones where they do. If you think you will ever want one where they do, make sure your facebook is clean- that is all.

[ErinE]

Nothing online is forever private, it can all be located. If you don't want your mother, brother, grandmother, potential boss, husband, or even child and grand children to read it some day........ then don't post it. LOL

 

Plus, if a friend shares your post it can be forwarded along, regardless of your privacy settings. I found this out when a family member shared my post containing personal information. I started getting comments from people not within my personal circle of friends. My post was good news, but wasn't something I wanted broadcasted widely.

 

As a very wise man once told me, never say in email or on the Internet what you wouldn't want posted on a very large billboard in the middle of Times Square.

[happypamama]

I don't think it's unreasonable to see what people post in public on FB, or in their front yard, or whatever. I think asking people for their personal passwords to log on to FB is a bit much, though. If someone posts sensitive/personal/etc. stuff to a few friends, that, to me, is very different from having it all out in the open for lots of people to see (even though nothing is really private), and I do see how the latter might show a lack of discretion. As an employer, I can see being concerned what my employees might be posting, especially if they also listed my company as their employer. If I owned Jones Consulting Firm, and my employees routinely listed that with their profiles, and then they posted lots of public pictures of them getting drunk or something, maybe my potential clients would be turned off, y'know? Same as if my employees were often found throwing large parties with lots of drinking, and it was known around town. Or if my employees were known for making lots of crude jokes in polite settings. Not illegal stuff, just stuff that showed a lack of discretion.

 

My DH refuses to do FB, but I know that if he throws his employer's name around at all, he's going to be careful how he represents that name. I expect that of my children, that they'll represent our family, homeschoolers in general, and God in a positive way; I don't see why an employer shouldn't be able to expect that his/her employees should represent the company well.

[ocelotmom]

I wouldn't want employers reading because for all I know, they may not like my hobbies (totally innocent but you never know who hates gardeners:lol:) or somebody might not like my political party or my denomination or whatever.

 

Yeah. Homeschooling. My religious and political views. The fact that I have kids, and 3 of them. My dietary views. It's not just getting falling-down drunk on weekends - most of us have something in our lives that has the potential to be controversial or a turn-off if you get the wrong person doing the hiring.

 

I have heard of companies demanding to see your FB and I thought that's what you meant. THAT is horrible IMO. But no one has to agree with it.

 

I don't really think "No one has to agree with it" is a valid argument. Sure, no one is forcing you to work for that company... but if every company in your field/area institutes the same policy and it becomes a de facto requirement for having a job?

 

There was a (fictional) resignation letter posted about this issue by a supposed hiring manager, stating that he was resigning because this policy made it impossible for him to do his job, because asking for the password was essentially asking questions that interviewers aren't allowed to ask (about sexual orientation, marital/family status, religion, etc.). While fictional, it's definitely a good point, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the practice go to trial.

 

 

Unless you set your privacy settings specifically that only friends can see your profile EVERYONE can see it. The default is a public profile. I know many people who have and still have public profiles.

 

I have 1 friend that her profile is semi private, meaning friends and friends of friends can see and post on it. But she has it set that anyone can subscribe to her page so you do not have to be a friend to see everything she posts. Until last week I didn't even know about that setting until strange men started subscribing to my page. That feature is now gone on my page. So anyone can see your page even if you have it set to friends only by subscribing rather than friending you. Anyway back to that friend. Her whole page is about intactivism, and anti vax. If I post to her page my family etc can see those posts and reply as well. I have been told by family members that they would not hire someone who had a page like that because they come across as a fanatical nut job even if they would be hard workers, and nice people, no one wants to hire kooky people.

 

So yeah even if you think your page is protected it may not be depending on what features you have turned on. And if ou use it to post about your wild weekends, or fanatical tirades it can cost you a good job.

 

I was just poking around on FB, and it clearly stated that turning on the subscribe option was only a way for people to subscribe to your *public* postings.

 

Maybe these strange men were actually friends of a friend, and that's why they could see it? I mean, some people go and friend anyone and everyone. Posting to friends of friends in no way insures your posts are only being seen by true real-life friends of friends.

Edited November 1, 2012 by ocelotmom

[Harriet Vane]

I think it SUCKS that employers can infringe on your personal privacy.

 

If I want to get drunk on Friday night so what. If I can pull myself together and never bring it to the office then so what.

 

What's next?

 

I mean if you have some high profile job, sure you don't want to make an *ss of yourself all around town. But really I wouldn't want an employer checking up on me in my personal time.

 

:001_huh:

It's neither personal nor private if it's posted on the internet.

[redsquirrel]

This is something college students talk about quite a lot these days. Those that are so inclined are still out there partying it up, but they spend the next morning untagging and taking down pictures. It's just a smart thing to do, especially during interview season. Heck, high school students are pruning their facebook page during college application season. I have a good friend who worked admissions for an Ivy (recently retired), and she said looking at facebook pages was standard.

 

I have had plenty of friends make statements like "I am back on the job market, so it is time to purge the facebook page."

 

And as for company image, my BIL was instructed to fire an employee whose wife was arrested for drunk driving. She didn't work for the company, only her husband. It wasn't a front page issue or anything like that. She was arrested, so he got fired. They told BIL that it didn't fit into their image of being a 'family oriented company" FTR, this is a military weapons supplier...go figure.

 

So, yeah it sucks, and I agree that what I do on my time is my business, but once it make the papers or I post it online I have decided to live my life in the public square. So, if I want to make sure my business is only my business then I had better keep it that way.

[swellmomma]

Okay I'm not sure how either of these are responses to my post.

 

I'm saying companies are using the social media to determine if you are too old and out of the loop for them to want to deal with.

 

I was agreeing with you. YOu need a social media presence in today's world, you just have to be responsible for what you post. You can't hide from it, so you need to use it appropriately.

[FairProspects]

Also, I don't think anyone has brought this up yet, but what about people with the same name?

 

I have a very common first name for my age, and I married into a common last name. I have gotten wrong insurance claims that were meant for someone else with my name, I have had library card problems because someone else in the system has the exact same name and even same middle initial, and a couple of years ago I was denied as a volunteer for a public school because someone else with my exact same name had criminal convictions in my state and it took awhile to sort out with my fingerprints.

 

What if some employer googles my name and comes up with some kind of crazy social media or online presence that isn't even me? I could easily see that happening. How could they know if it was the same job applicant or not? It just seems like this could be open to so many legal challenges...

[Tammyla]

Congratulations on the job!

 

(I would expect a potential employer to google my name; that's the nature of just about anything these days.)

 

I tried to post this yesterday when I was having some computer problems. I can't find my post by searching, but forgive me if I'm double posting.

 

My boss was talking about how I was chosen for this job. The selection process was down to me and a younger woman. As part of his decision making, my boss checked our names on Facebook. He couldn't find me (I have a very low key presence under a pseudonym) but the other woman's page contained graphic descriptions of her spending every weekend falling over drunk in the gutter.

 

It's not that my boss is puritanical - he drinks and undoubtedly has been drunk in his time - but he wanted an employee who had some common sense. Getting in that state and then telling the world all about it didn't strike him as showing the kind of discretion and responsibility that he was looking for. I got the job.

 

Tell your children....

 

Laura

[Vanna]

Also, I don't think anyone has brought this up yet, but what about people with the same name?

 

I have a very common first name for my age, and I married into a common last name. I have gotten wrong insurance claims that were meant for someone else with my name, I have had library card problems because someone else in the system has the exact same name and even same middle initial, and a couple of years ago I was denied as a volunteer for a public school because someone else with my exact same name had criminal convictions in my state and it took awhile to sort out with my fingerprints.

 

What if some employer googles my name and comes up with some kind of crazy social media or online presence that isn't even me? I could easily see that happening. How could they know if it was the same job applicant or not? It just seems like this could be open to so many legal challenges...

I have a similar problem (many ppl, mostly teenage girls I've been told, have my same first and last name on FB and friends who have searched for me have not been able to find me among the masses of them).

 

I guess this is a case for making sure you have a profile picture of you so that if the potential employer does the now customary online search on your name, s/he finds the right person. :)

[justLisa]

:001_huh:

It's neither personal nor private if it's posted on the internet.

 

I said MULTIPLE times I agree and I did not even know FB was public.

[creekland]

To the OP - congratulations on the new job!

 

To anyone who cares... when we hired people (back before the economic downturn) we used anything we could to investigate new potential workers. I would do so again. We would never force anyone to show us a private page, but what's out there in a search is fair game as is asking others about people. Our company image is too important to make mistakes.

 

Where I live I've had employers ask me about the behavior of kids (teens) in school before they make hiring decisions. I don't blame them.

 

To those who feel companies should hire anyone and anyone, put your own business and livelihood on the line... You are free to do so. ;)

[ocelotmom]

Okay I'm not sure how either of these are responses to my post.

 

I'm saying companies are using the social media to determine if you are too old and out of the loop for them to want to deal with.

 

I can understand the "out of the loop" part, but too old doesn't make sense to me. My grandmother, in her late 80s, has a facebook. So does my mom, and most of my aunts. I'm FB friends with several of my (retired or nearly so) high school teachers. But I know many younger people who don't have an obvious FB presence.

[Anne in CA]

Seven years ago my step dd got a job because the owner of the local bowling alley looked up all the applicants on Myspace and she was the only girl not to have lewd pic's of herself on hers.

 

The social media background check is no different than when most people lived in small towns and you were hired or not based on your reputation.

 

My former boss went so far as to tell us that the five star inn I was working at had access to all of our facebook and that the manager checked them. I do not know if she was lying to scare us, but I have known her 16 years and she has always been scrupulously honest, but she also told us that "Your privacy settings mean nothing. We have full access to everyone's facebook and I can't tell you how, just believe me." :confused:

[Slipper]

Anytime I'm searching a person (usually someone that will be working with my kids), I search with first/last name and their email address. The email address usually pulls up social media sites and review sites.

 

Honestly, I don't worry if someone I hire goes out and parties at night or on the week-ends. I worry if it seems that their partying is a major influence and need for their life. Someone who posts lingerie pictures publicly (and is not a model) and brags about using their "ass"ets for free meals, drinks and attention, isn't someone I want in my home.

 

I'm hiring someone to help my middle daughter with math. I checked her facebook and found a few pictures of her in a group of friends, all with drinks in their hands and a bit glassy-eyed. Honestly, it just made me smile and remember my own college days. I think people who judge others on their online status (and I freely admit that I do judge) should show discretion and a bit of grace. Everyone does stupid things they regret later on. But a complete lack of judgment is a different story.

 

I don't agree with forcing people to give up their passwords to facebook. But, if something is posted publicly, it's because they don't care if strangers see it (and in some cases, I think they hope that strangers WILL see it).

[TravelingChris]

Well maybe it will make the job field easier for those who are doing the right things. It may be easier for people to find out that that charming guy is a user and a loser before they hire him and pass on the kinda nerdy guy whose facebook page shows he cares about his family, volunteers and is into Star Trek or Star Wars.

[Barb_]

I can understand the "out of the loop" part, but too old doesn't make sense to me. My grandmother, in her late 80s, has a facebook. So does my mom, and most of my aunts. I'm FB friends with several of my (retired or nearly so) high school teachers. But I know many younger people who don't have an obvious FB presence.

 

:iagree: It's on the cutting age to dump, or at least bury your facebook once you're out of college. Now that everyone's grandma has a facebook, the cool kids don't want to hang out anymore :D

[stripe]

Another word of caution, I took a sociology class last year in college, and the professor told our class that he took another class of his on a "field trip" to local police department, and the officer who did the hiring, mentioned that as part of the interview process, they require the candidate to provide their log-on credentials for their Facebook.

 

I heard about this and it seems grossly inappropriate to me to disclose one's password to a potential employer, for many reasons.

 

It is against Facebook policy to share a password, and they disapprove of this practice.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/23/tech/social-media/facebook-employers/index.html

 

The Senate and House investigated this. House Republicans voted down an amendment banning the practice, in March.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/house-votes-down-stopping-employers-asking-for-facebook-passwords/11067

Several states have banned it, including Illinois and Maryland, and multiple groups (including the aforementioned House Republicans as well as the ACLU) disapprove of it.

 

Here are some suggestions for how to handle this request

http://mashable.com/2012/04/08/employer-facebook-password/

And http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/03/28/facebook-password-job-interview/

 

Unfortunately, this new tactic of checking up on people online can backfire. My abusive xh has created NUMEROUS fake profiles in both my name and my dh's name, on FB and other sites. He steals real photos whenever he can, and he knows just enough info to make it look real.

 

I saw an article about a man who's ex girlfriend or some other girl who felt jilted, posted a whole huge thing online about how he has some STD and he's had trouble getting hired as a result.

 

It's interesting that some newspapers and other sites want people to post comments via facebook profile, which links everything together a bit too much, in my opinion.

 

However she also said that if you have no social media presence out there, you are considered too old.

 

Age discrimination is illegal.

 

Many jobs wouldn't involve employees' "hip" factor.

[Laura Corin]

Age discrimination is illegal.

 

Many jobs wouldn't involve employees' "hip" factor.

 

Most people go to university straight from school, and CVs normally state year of graduation. Many job search advice books advise against redesigning the CV to fudge the year of graduation - the redesign can make you look shady.

 

Being seen as IT illiterate is a problem with older workers, however. I took an IT course when I was looking for a job. I already had most of the skills but I did need the recent paperwork.

 

But yes, 'hip' isn't always necessary.

 

Laura

Edited November 1, 2012 by Laura Corin

[Parrothead]

I live in a world with basically no privacy and that is what I have taught my kids. Dh has clearances, lets say, and we don't have privacy. I have learned not to let it bother me. We aren't doing stupid things but we know our neighbors are asked about us, our bank records are checked, probably the internet, etc, etc. The kids knew this from an early age. I remember showing my young son the base security police coming to escort a family off the base because the teen son had marijuana in the base lodging. Everytime we drive onto a base we agree to searches- they are hardly ever done- but just driving on base means we have agreed. We made a bargain with the government- dh has a good paying job and will get retirement and we have no privacy and no ability to choose where we will be living. It is a choice you make.\

 

There are jobs where no one cares about your past and there are ones where they do. If you think you will ever want one where they do, make sure your facebook is clean- that is all.

This is one of the many reasons I don't have FB. Every 5 years dh and I are checked out. Supposedly it is just dh but you know they are asking about both of us. No way I'm posting anything online that I wouldn't tell my mom, my priest or my boss about.

[Parrothead]

I can understand the "out of the loop" part, but too old doesn't make sense to me. My grandmother, in her late 80s, has a facebook. So does my mom, and most of my aunts. I'm FB friends with several of my (retired or nearly so) high school teachers. But I know many younger people who don't have an obvious FB presence.

:iagree:There are lots of people who prefer not to use FB for security reasons. I think anyone over the age of 5 in any 1st world nation knows FB is there for the using. Not everyone between 13 and 50 wants to participate.

[justLisa]

:iagree:There are lots of people who prefer not to use FB for security reasons.

 

 

DH will never have one. He has a higher profile job in his industry and he is VERY careful about his internet usage. I am only friends with the family members I know well enough to trust THEY do not post garbage, and I do not let friends of friends see my page. And even then I post hardly anything.

[somo_chickenlady]

Anytime I'm searching a person (usually someone that will be working with my kids), I search with first/last name and their email address. The email address usually pulls up social media sites and review sites.

 

After reading this, I googled my first and last name and email address...absolutely zero results came up. :D I don't post anything inappropriate, but I still value my privacy. ;)

[DawnM]

My husband's work ALWAYS checks Facebook and Twitter and googles your name before hiring.

 

One lady posted all about how she hated her job and her boss was an idiot, etc.....her resume was immediately tossed.

 

Dawn

[Slipper]

After reading this, I googled my first and last name and email address...absolutely zero results came up. :D I don't post anything inappropriate, but I still value my privacy. ;)

 

I check myself every six months or so. (My kids as well!)

[TravelingChris]

I do have facebook but barely use it. If the government looks at my facebook page, there is nothing suspect at all. I would say most of my friends are others will clearance issues too so none of us have anything bad. I just don't make that kind of friend- ever. I have facebook first of all to track my kids and second to keep track of my friends from all over. Also, some of my dd's activities announce mainly through facebook which really annoys me.

[Durriyyah]

Yep, I would do the same thing. If someone wants their private life to actually be private, they should be careful what their settings are when they are posting things they don't want everyone to see.

 

I just remember at my last job, half of our team would stand around on Monday morning complaining how awful they felt and retelling all their drunken stories. It was a waste of company's time for everyone to be still getting over what they did to themselves, and bragging how severe it was.

 

I should say I'm a purist in this regard in my own life, but I don't expect everyone else to live like I do. I do expect that they will be responsible about it though.

[Mimm]

The other side of this coin:

 

My friend is the assistant to a top CEO in a financial company/bank (I can't remember who she works for). We were talking about something similar like this. However she also said that if you have no social media presence out there, you are considered too old.

 

How about if you avoid facebook and other social media just because you are a very private person?

 

I know of a man who was applying to work in the jail of our local police department. During the interview process, they brought him to a computer and asked him to log into his Facebook page. So even if he'd set his profile to private, they interviewer could still see it. It also doesn't give the interviewee a chance to clean up his profile first.

 

Personally, I find this an invasion of privacy. On the other hand, it is probably a very effective way to screen out people with poor judgement.

 

:iagree: On one hand, anything you can find with some easy searches is fair game in my opinion but sitting someone down during an interview and telling them to log into facebook seems very invasive. I don't even have anything private on my facebook and that would still be a problem for me.

[AvasMom]

I think it SUCKS that employers can infringe on your personal privacy.

 

If I want to get drunk on Friday night so what. If I can pull myself together and never bring it to the office then so what.

 

What's next?

 

I mean if you have some high profile job, sure you don't want to make an *ss of yourself all around town. But really I wouldn't want an employer checking up on me in my personal time.

 

:iagree: I think it's ridiculous and wouldn't want an employer who did that. I'd probably decline the job after hearing this.

[elegantlion]

:iagree:There are lots of people who prefer not to use FB for security reasons. I think anyone over the age of 5 in any 1st world nation knows FB is there for the using. Not everyone between 13 and 50 wants to participate.

 

Ds has no desire for facebook. He's online, but a place where he can be a little more anonymous.

 

I'm actually a little glad, as we have discussion about the Internet not really being private a lot.

[LibraryLover]

I know people who hire/not hire based on FB postings/photos. FB can tell everything about the kind of person you are (unless your goal is to confuse).

 

If you are too stupid to not have decent controls, or go out drinking regularly, post pix of groping yourself or others, and/or act like an ass when you have wine, maybe a employer would like to know that.

Edited November 2, 2012 by LibraryLover

[melmichigan]

I would feel the same way. Your down time is your down time, but if you have no discretion and make a regular fool of yourself and openly share it/brag about it I would not want you as an employee either. I would not want someone who had no discretion in the office making a fool out of the company name kwim.

 

If you don't want people in your private life, don't post about it on facebook. And if you want to share with like minded friends than have your privacy settings such that only those likeminded friends can see your posts on your page.

 

:iagree:

[Parrothead]

After reading this, I googled my first and last name and email address...absolutely zero results came up. :D I don't post anything inappropriate, but I still value my privacy. ;)

I don't get anything if I google my email address. I will get something if I google my name. The phone and internet bill is in my name so I do have a public record profile.

[stripe]

Most people go to university straight from school, and CVs normally state year of graduation. Many job search advice books advise against redesigning the CV to fudge the year of graduation - the redesign can make you look shady.

 

Obviously some general impression of age may come across through one's education (although quite a large number of people in the US go back to school later in life or don't work until after the kids are older or whatever) or in person (most 20 year olds don't appear to be middle aged), and I never would recommend lying or being weirdly mysterious. However, the fact remains, in some countries, including the US, it's not legal to engage in discrimination based on age. That being said, of course it happens. I think it is inadviseable for someone to engage in job discrimination, and also to openly state that one does not hire people without Facebook accounts because of their presumed age. But, just like a landlord bragging about how he won't let black people move in, some people not only break the law, but don't bother hiding it. And similarly looking on Facebook would tell the employer the basic appearance of the person, making discrimination based on factors like ethnic background or attractiveness possible, without ever having an interview.

 

But the fact is, plenty of people get jobs where no one is looking at Facebook. I know lots of such jobs. I know people who've gotten job offers on the spot at job fairs, in all sorts of different industries, and no talk of Facebook or search to see their "web presence" was involved. So I stand by my statement that it's not important to everyone. And, given the large numbers of stupid Facebook entries, many people with sordid personal lives that are openly posting them are able to find employment. That doesn't mean one should behave stupidly or publicize it. But it's not going to be the kiss of death for everyone.

[Lara in Colo]

DH had a friend call in "sick"--he said he had car trouble and couldn't get a ride into work--OK.

 

Employer checked his facebook page, he posted pics of himself and the car at the race track that same day.

 

He was fired.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

DH had a friend call in "sick"--he said he had car trouble and couldn't get a ride into work--OK.

 

Employer checked his facebook page, he posted pics of himself and the car at the race track that same day.

 

He was fired.

 

That reminded me of Julie & Julia where she burnt the pot roast, stayed home from work to re-do, and her husband made sure she posted on her blog that she was sick.

[Walking-Iris]

About the common name. When I google my dh quite a bit comes up. Apparently he could be any of run of the mill Facebook people, or he could be a professional race car driver, or he could be a criminal (several mug shot images). Nothing I found was actually my dh however. Mainly because I guard those privacy settings.

 

If he were trying to apply for a job sight unseen or not personally known by the boss---what point in googling would there be?

 

There is a man in our town with the exact same name as my husband minus one letter in the last name. So where our name would end in an s, this guys name does not.

 

He is also reported in the paper quite often for various petty local crimes. I still clearly remember a man asking me what my dh was doing out and driving when his license had been revoked??? I was so confused until we figured out this weird thing. I would hate to think that people who don't know us would read that and think it were us. But it very well could happen.

 

It's just not a good idea to make snap judgments about these things.

[stripe]

I went to a midwife who has the same name as a playboy playmate.

[Barbara H]

This is also a good reminder that it is important to talk to teens. Make sure they've got their privacy settings set high. In a recent study of college admissions officers over a third said they'd discovered information through social media that negatively influenced their opinion of applicants. While most admissions officers don't regularly look at applicant's social media it does happen. Also, the world really is small place when it comes to networking (recommendations, internships, scholarships). Kids may not think about how far reaching what they post can be.

[Parrothead]

 

He was fired.

He was stupid.

[Walking-Iris]

I just discovered Pinterest has no privacy settings that are worth anything. I googled my name and all I got was my pinterest posts and boards. Remind me not to post comments. Although it's hard to see what could be controversial about a knitting pattern. :tongue_smilie:

[LizzyBee]

I know people who hire/not hire based on FB postings/photos. FB can tell everything about the kind of person you are (unless you're goal is to confuse).

 

If you are too stupid to not have decent controls, or go out drinking regularly, or grope yourself or others, and/or act like an ass when you have wine, maybe a employer would like to know that.

 

I thought this was common knowledge.

 

:iagree: I tell my kids all the time not to post anything on facebook that they wouldn't want a college admissions officer or potential employer to see.

[Liz CA]

I've been told by our computer guru that many tech savvy people can break into FB accounts inside of a few minutes.

I like the "hang out your bloomers and everyone can see them" line. :D