Facebook

Is Facebook like Marmite - you either love it or you hate it??

Some people think so..........me, personally, I like FB, I post a lot of random stuff, rant, comment and according to hubby, live my life on it. I don't think I do, but I do use it a lot as I enjoy the snapshot into people's lives, so you sort of feel connected in a strange sort of way.

And then we come to the question of what, if any boundaries should there be on FB? One of the things we hear quite frequently at work is 'so and so posted a nasty comment about me on FB' So, ok, have deleted them as a friend then, changed your privacy setting so they can't post on your page? 'No' is invariably the answer. WHY NOT????

Now if I'm friends with someone who posts things I don't agree with, or I find offensive, I'll either tell them or delete them and like wise, if you don't like what I post, delete me, I'm not going to be offended and wage a vendetta against you.

Now obviously you have to respect the laws that we live under (in which ever country you reside), and posting comments that are discriminatory in any way have the potential to get you into trouble, likewise posting things that would incite people to commit illegal acts, also a bit of a no no!

Then we get to posting nasty things about people, and by this I mean a bit more than name calling, saying he/she is ugly, fat etc. Not nice, agreed, but not usually enough to get you into trouble. But when you start posting stuff that is either untrue, or is truly offensive, this is were trouble can start.

And then we get to our employers. Quite a lot of us have out employer listed on FB, and it is usual for it either to be in your contract of employment or terms and conditions that you should not bring your employer into disrepute...........ie don't say anything nasty about them. And the same goes for FB.......if you want to slag your employer off, be careful if you're going to do it on FB, there may be repercussions.

But then we get to the fact that we all have the right to a private life, the freedom to express our personal opinions and at what point should we then curb what we say because someone else might be offended, or your employer might not like it.

My employer has a whole policy about the personal use of social media. Fair enough, considering who they are. Most of it is about being sensible and rather strangely it does not forbid you to have them listed as your employer, just states that if you do, then you must make it clear that the views are your own, not theirs. You also have to be careful about what info you put on about yourself (sensible in the age of identity theft), as putting too much info could compromise your vetting. Again fair point.

However, at work at the moment we have what someone has dubbed the 'Facebook mole'. Now the mole has taken it upon themselves to report colleagues (and FB friends) to PSD (Professional Standards Department - they deal with complaints!) for comments that have put on FB. Are these posts offensive? No. Do they slag off our employer? No. Has the mole got their facts straight? In the most part .... No.

Unfortunately we have no idea who the mole is..............we have the ability to make reports of supposed misconduct anonymously. But hey, if you are going to grass up your colleagues, at least get your facts straight first!