Friday, October 22, 2010

Social Media Private Line or Party Line

I am probably showing my age, but I remember when I was a young, the phones had what was known as party lines. Even though you had a unique telephone number, other numbers would utilize the same line. So you could pick up the phone and hear someone else’s telephone conversation. You had to be careful what you said or the gossip mill would use your conversation to your detriment. It was not until we had private lines could one be more open in what was said. Of course wiretapping can get around that.

I mention this because there are similar cautions one must take when posting on social media channels. Realize every electronic posting you make is there literally forever. You may post something today, very innocently, and it can be held against you 5, 10, or whatever years from now. Of course we must warn friends and family of these dangers but it also applies to business postings. Make sure you have everyone who posts to your social media channels know that something innocently posted now can be used against you in the future. Unlike a phone call that is not recorded, social media postings do not go away.

Does this mean you should not use social media for businesses. Of course not, but it does mean like any other business tool, if not used properly, it can hurt your organization more than it can help.

1 comment:

  1. You may post something today, very innocently, and it can be held against you 5, 10, or whatever instagram followers for free years from now. Of course we must warn friends and family of these dangers but it also applies to business postings.

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