Yikes! My Boss Facebooks and Twitters!
Friday afternoon marked the completion of my first week back to the 9-to-5 world, though these days it’s more like 8-8:30 a.m. to 4:30-5 p.m., depending on your lunch break. Anyhow, I’m still getting settled and trying to get a feel for where I will fit in with my new team.
My primary responsibility is as chief Web editor (a.k.a. uber Web geek) for three Web sites run by my department. However, my job description also calls upon my search engine optimization and marketing experience, as well as my social media skills (i.e. Twitter, blogging, Facebook, etc.). It really is the perfect job for me in that it allows me to utilize all of my professional skills.
Because social media is part of the gig, I am on Twitter and Facebook throughout the day. I monitor my social and professional networks throughout the day and the majority, if not all, of my profiles are public, so finding out what I’m up to is not at all difficult. But I was a little taken aback when I saw a Facebook friend request from my new boss. Then came the Twitter follow. Yikes! My boss is following me on Facebook and Twitter … this could get interesting.
I am quite sure that he is clearly social media savvy, did due diligence (i.e. he Googled me) before he decided to bring me on board. So, I’m sure he realized that I am very active in my social media groups, which of course are public, and that’s one of the reasons I have achieved a certain level of respectability in my professional circles. Not only do I offer SEO advice on sites like Twitter, I also seek feedback when I am faced with a challenge that I cannot overcome alone.
During my interview, I was asked how I would go about finding a solution for a problem I was unable to figure out. My first response was - “I have experienced the power and reach of Twitter, so I would start there.” OK, maybe I didn’t say those exact words, but it was something close. :)
The point of this blog is that my new boss is now following me on Twitter and Facebook. I do not generally post negative or controversial comments on either, but there is still that fear that something I will post - even if it is on my own time - will potentially bother my new supervisor. He seems like a pretty open-minded and accepting guy, but you just never know.
The social media age is creating an entirely new set of issues for employers and employees alike. While free speech is still protected, your job is not necessarily protected depending on what speech you are freely throwing out there. Cases in point: the Philadelphia Eagles fired a seasonal employee after he blasted the team on Facebook for letting one of his favorite players go; a would-be Cisco new-hire was lambasted by the Twitterverse and other social media outlets after he was offered a job and then Twittered about a “fatty paycheck” and “hating the work.” No word on whether he was fired, but a Cisco rep found the Twit (er, Tweet) and replied with:
Who is the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.
I have no intentions of calling my current employer names and nor do I hate the work (or get a “fatty” paycheck for that matter), so I’d like to think that I’m safe. However, I’d be lying if I said I don’t put just a little more thought into what I post on my accounts. That’s not to say I’m not going to keep posting what I think, but I will give it a little extra thought to make sure that I’m not putting my livelihood at risk.
Does your boss or co-workers following you via Twitter, Facebook or other social media sites? Do you have any horror stories or funny anectdotes to share?
