Ruin Your Brand With Facebook
April 15th, 2008 | by Jason Alba |If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
I just saw this article in the New York Times about employers checking Facebook profiles before making a hiring decision. I’m not into the scare tactic angle, but it does amaze me that some people think they are safe putting “personal” stuff on their “personal” profile.
Here are the first four paragraphs of this article:
When a small consulting company in Chicago was looking to hire a summer intern this month, the company’s president went online to check on a promising candidate who had just graduated from the University of Illinois.
Tien Nguyen, a college senior, signed up for job interviews but said he was seldom contacted until he withdrew a satirical online essay.
At Facebook, a popular social networking site, the executive found the candidate’s Web page with this description of his interests: “smokin’ blunts” (cigars hollowed out and stuffed with marijuana), shooting people and obsessive sex, all described in vivid slang.
It did not matter that the student was clearly posturing. He was done.
Great article - read the entire thing here.
Are you concerned about privacy? If you are really concerned, draw your shades and unplug your computer. That might be the only way you get privacy in today’s world. Wait, I can still buy your personal information from many different websites.
Instead of sticking your head in a hole, be proactive about creating a strong online brand around your name or company!
One Response to “Ruin Your Brand With Facebook”
By Shama Hyder on Apr 16, 2008 | Reply
Great post Jason!
You really have to decide what you want to use Facebook for.
A lot of my clients use it as a means to market their business, so this post is absolutely key.