The growth of social networks such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo has been extraordinary and represents the one of the defining services of the Web 2.0 user driven internet. With an estimated 500 million plus members of social networking sites and driving an estimated 8% of worldwide web traffic, the sector is clearly a major driver of web activity.
However, if you thought your MySpace or Facebook page is just a bit of fun and a great way to stay in touch with your friends, you also need to be aware of the far reaching aspects of the information that you place in your profile will have on other aspects of your life. Particularly these days, as it is possible for employers to check peoples profiles to get a better idea of the individual they might be taking on and if they see something they don’t like in your personal life it may cast a shadow over your professional life. For example, I know of a colleague who was interviewing for a nanny for her child and checked them out on Facebook. Whereas from the interview, the young lady seemed like the perfect candidate, her Facebook profile revealed a whole other side of her lifestyle that wasn’t particularly compatible with the type of person that anyone might want looking after their child. This maybe one of the more trivial examples, however, a more serious one was a recent case reported on the BBC website. A senior police officer lost out on the chance to become a Chief Inspector after he was found to have posted very personal information on the internet. The revealing information on his Facebook account was considered to have been very damaging due to his profession and resulted in him losing the opportunity to be considered for promotion.
So next time you are posting up those photos of the riotous night out, just take a minute to consider what your employer may think of the picture of you in a less than complimentary position.
