Well, there isn’t any precedence yet, according to this StarTribune article. Clearly the proper use of social networking sites during background checks for candidates is going to be a tremendously important legal topic soon. This topic has been percolating for some time. The article references an obvious starting point: “We can suggest to employers that they include in their application process some statement that says ‘we do reference checking including use of information in the public domain’ and to make it broad enough that if they discover something online it’s fair game,” Ridley said. I have always been one to note that the Internet IS a public domain so anything… Read More
Continue ReadingSocial Networking Series
I received a PR email notifying me of a 3-part series starting tonight on Nightly Business Report. Here are the details: “Social Networking” Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Wednesday, January 27, 2010 Thursday, January 28, 2010 Similar to the introduction of TV in the 1950’s, social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are rapidly becoming a core component of many Americans’ daily lives. But where businesses could easily impact the American consumer through TV advertisements, the road map for marketing through social networking is a bit more complex. The rules are certainly different, but as NBR’s Scott Gurvey finds out: the rewards may be even greater. Tuesday 1/26: Pt. 1… Read More
Continue ReadingFacebook Faux Pas
This story will do down in the annals of management malfeasance. A good friend of mine works for a small company that had an atrocious employee. This employee couldn’t show up on time (if at all), didn’t seem to know what she was doing and created great dissent within the team. Unfortunately, the owner made the emotional hire and didn’t want to admit his error, at least not in a timely manner. So this employee continued her employment with my friend’s company for almost 6 mos. and the stories that surrounded her were almost unbelievable. She missed work all together and offered these excuses: overslept reaction to medication robbed while… Read More
Continue ReadingWho’s Your Friend?
I’m sure you have encountered those people who you wonder if they have any social skills whatsoever. I used to work with a guy who would walk in to any conversation between people and just start talking about his topic. No waiting, no gentle interruption – he just walked in and started firing away. Totally annoying. In that light comes this article from CNNMoney.com. The pull quote from the Q & A article: For one, my old boss, who laid me off from my last job with no warning (and no severance pay), has sent me a friend request. That is some hubris on the boss’ part. However, I have… Read More
Continue ReadingLinkedIn On Top…For Now
Online Media Daily has a news brief regarding the fastest growing social networking sites. AMONG TOP SOCIAL NETWORKS, LINKED-IN was the fastest-growing over the last year, according to October ratings released Wednesday by Nielsen Online. The site geared toward professional users drew 4.9 million visitors last month, up from 1.7 million a year ago. Other fast-growing social networks included kiddie site Club Penguin, up 157% to 3.8 million users, and Facebook, more than doubling its audience to 19.5 million in the last year. MySpace remained the top social network with 58.8 million users, up 19% from 2006. LinkedIn was the fastest growing, but it seems like Facebook is the site… Read More
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