Okay. I’m only going to say this one time. SOCIAL MEDIA IS FOREVER.
Now let that sink in. FOREVER.
“No, it isn’t. Human beings won’t even be around forever.”
Okay, so I’m trying to prove a point here.
“Oh yeah, Mr. Blogger? I think social media will probably only exist for 25 years or so. That’s not long at all in the scheme of things. Maybe, if you’re lucky, the record will only be around for 50 years.”
Guess what, Mr. Reader? That’s your adult life.
“So what’s your point? What’s so bad about forever?”
My point, dear reader, is that human beings have an extremely short-term memory. And unless we force an idea, however willingly, into our thick skulls, we tend to forget the consequences of our actions. Here’s my first example: you may have hear of the now-famous Twitterer, “theconnor,” who landed a job at Cisco a while back. How long do you suppose it took to forget that Twitter goes out to millions of people in the IT industry?
“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”
Not long enough. Shortly after that tweet escaped her fingers, the offer was rescinded. It seems that loyal Cisco employees don’t appreciate Cisco being slammed. That leads me to the first lesson: SOCIAL MEDIA CAN’T BE ERASED. If you say something stupid, you can’t take it back.
Still don’t believe me? Consider the braggadocios story of Virginia Republican Jeff Frederick, who would love to take back his boastful comments. You see, they were a little premature.
“Big news coming out of Senate: Apparently one dem is either switching or leaving the dem caucus. Negotiations for power sharing underway.”
Oops. Looks like his political enemies read his tweet. Now only did they read it, they adjourned their legislative session and talked the switcher out of it. Oops. The lesson: EVEN YOUR ENEMIES READ SOCIAL MEDIA. When you send something out to the world, that includes everyone.
“Yeah, but that’s Twitter! What about Facebook?”
What about Facebook? I don’t even have to give you an example for Facebook. Just a stat. In 2009, 45% of all employers were screening potential employees, according to a Harris Interactive© poll. That’s almost two years ago. How many do you think are screening now? Facebook has been known to share information with employers who are concerned about their employees’ external activities. It’s not even a law. So before you post photos of last night’s wild party, start thinking about your future. I don’t care who you are or what your age is. Here’s a Facebook goof that’s one of my favorites:
“January 7, 2009: Went out with the guys for a few beers last night. I had one too many and before I know it I am demanding that they drive me to my old manager’s house. I took my kid’s Louisville Slugger out of the trunk and bashed in his mailbox. Caught it on video!”
SOCIAL MEDIA IS NOT PRIVATE. Don’t believe the privacy settings. You can’t completely choose who sees your comments.
Forget your grandma. And start thinking: would you want your employer to read this?