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Status update: Fired because of Facebook
By AprillBrandon in Pop Goes the Culture
March 13, 2009

Better be careful the next time you're updating your Facebook or Myspace status at work. Apparently, your boss could be reading.

That was the case with a U.K. teenager who was fired after she wrote "Bored at work" on her Facebook page, according to CNN. Although she is hardly the first to do it and maybe not even the first to get sacked for it, her story has gone national, prompting many to question the boundaries of social networking sites.

Is it okay for an employee to vent about work on their Myspace blog? What about employees who post photos of themselves drinking and partying? What if your employee joins the group "I Heart Hitler" on Facebook? (Note: Not an actual group...or at least I really hope not).

Being a huge fan of social networking sites myself, I'm a bit torn on the issue. Unless you are using the site for professional purposes, I don't think employees should have to completely censor themselves because they are afraid of being fired.

However, once you type "I hate my boss," it's out there for all to see and it doesn't look good for you or the company. I think the best solution here is to learn about privacy settings...and use them.

Any other thoughts out there?

P.S. Oh, and hey, Chris? When I wrote that thing on Twitter about enjoying my "Irish" coffee...I was just kidding. You know that was a joke right? Right? RIGHT?