Thursday, September 3, 2015

When online communication goes wrong




Many of us belong to online communities, and share plenty of personal information with others on the internet. Sometimes, whether on purpose or not, we might post content that could get us in trouble. Take for example the following situation. According to this website, a young intern wanted to celebrate Halloween, lied using a family obligation cover, and got caught when boss found evidential photos on Facebook. The following emails were exchanged between Kevin the intern and his boss, Paul.
Paul/Jill,
I just wanted to let you know that I will not be able to come into work tomorrow. Something came up at home and I had to go to New York this morning for the next couple of days. I apologize for the delayed notice.
Kind regards,
Kevin
Kevin's boss followed up by checking Facebook where he found this picture of his intern sporting a full fairy costume and celebrating with a can of Busch Light. What else could Paul do but reply to Kevin, attach the photo, and BCC the entire company on the email?
Kevin,
Thanks for letting us know—hope everything is ok in New York. (cool wand)

Cheers,
PCD

What are your thoughts on this situation? What are some other potential consequences of sharing personal information online?

19 comments:

  1. His boss is dis disappointed and that is really bad situation for Paul that he will lost the trust of his boss, the aspect that he have been building or he may lost his job for the consequences. I think some of the potential that can happen when sharing information online are: someone else can using that information for bad reason, people make fun with these imfor, or got themselves in trouble like in the Paul situation.

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  2. My thoughts of this situation is that personal information shouldn't be shared online no matter how fun or important and how much you want others to see what you are doing with life. It should be kept private at a certain point but also know when to post things on social media. The consequences for sharing post online are getting caught to a lie such as in getting fired let go from a job for lying and putting proof online, depending on the situation many things can happen by sharing post online.

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  3. The intern was being completely unprofessional by posting that picture to Facebook. Kevin shouldn't have lied to his boss on such short notice and make it suspicious. Many companies and corporations do background checks on Facebook to see how their employees act like. People should be very careful about what they post online, because people all over the world are able to see it and it won't ever go away.

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  4. Jacqueline AlvaradoSep 3, 2015, 1:57:00 PM

    Social media is a great way to connect with people from all over the world, but many users disregard the possible consequences of using it carelessly. Kevin’s situation is a great example of how social media can effect professional relationships. In elementary school we had many presentations about being cautious with the way we use the internet, because what we post will be there forever for everyone to see. We were warned that companies do background checks, and if they find something it would affect our chances of employment. A consequence of sharing personal information is that it can be used as black mail, cause others to create a false idea about a person’s personality, and it can become a safety issue if a person reveals too much information. I believe that Kevin’s boss Paul acted unprofessionally to the situation; he should have personally confronted Kevin and had a professional consequence; however, the way Paul responded may have been a joke. Paul’s email response did not seem angry so the two involved could have had a casual relationships making his response less harsh, but it was a bad way to respond in a professional environment. The picture was put out there for anyone to see so it should not have been a surprise that everyone at work had gotten it.

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  5. My thoughts about this situation was that it was the interns fault. I believe it is unprofessional of him to lie to his about a family concern. However, if an employee or an intern is going to lie something like this in order to go out, he should of not posted anything on facebook since he had employees on his facebook. I believe its important to be honest and lie especially with a company that you want to be with otherwise the company can end the internship due to a picture on facebook.

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  6. In my opinion I feel like the boss was unprofessional about this situation but I mean, at the same time, Kevin had it coming. He should've just been honest about what his intentions were from the start. There could have also been more mature ways to deal with these consequences but he's the boss so he calls the shots.

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  7. Fernando SandovalSep 3, 2015, 6:13:00 PM

    I think that the boss reaction and response was appropriate to the situation. If I was the boss I would done the same thing. Other consequences that could potentially impact your life is when you have stalkers. There are many freaks out there, and if your are being stalked by someone you never know when they could snap and locate you by searching you online information.

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  8. In this situation I think Kevin should have been more careful about who was taking pictures and what he was posting. Especially when he called off of work for some fun. Now a days a lot of jobs look into their employees social networks just to see whats going on and if they can represent a company well enough. I do think Kevin should get some type of punishment for not representing himself well. This also goes for students and parents, for example a parents calls the school for their kid who is "sick" but then their friends show the teacher that the student went on a trip or something. Parents can get in trouble for that as well. Another thing is students who are in Student Council, if they are caught out partying and drinking they automatically get kicked out of Student Council. Everyone just needs to be more careful about what is being posted online due to any kind of consequences.

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  9. I think Kevin made a huge mistake by posting the inappropriate photo and content about drinking alcohol online. It may cost him his job. Many employers are using Internet as a tool to investigate their employees. They believe the way their employees present themselves reflects their personal character, effectiveness at work and may offend other coworkers. Making bad impressions on social media may result in the employer forcing the employee to resign from work or have him fired.
    My advice would be to remove any images or posts from your profile that may be questionable. Don't send friend requests to your boss or professor. Monitor your privacy settings, so only certain friends can see your posts. Unfortunately, everything on the Internet can become public and is thus permanent.

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  10. I think kevin should have been more careful and aware of what was being posted on his social media account. Everyone has a way of finding people online and nothing is private. We all tell white liars to get out of situations but kevin should have been aware of the consequences if he was caught. But i also think the boss was unprofessional by sending the image to everyone in the company. I just view that as immature and someway bullying. Because that just gives everyone something to talk about and to make fun of. When sharing things online we just have to be cautious because things always have a way of being seen by people we wouldnt expect.

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  11. Kevin should have known better than to share a photo like that, especially when you have co-workers/bosses on your friends list. People should always keep in mind when posting photos, status, videos, and etc. Anyone can see it, and share with others. Even when applying for job some employers do a little research on potential employees, they will look online at your Facebook, and other sites to see if you really are who you say you are.
    In this case Kevin should have known better, and now his consequence is his boss has most likely lost respect and trust in Kevin. But the consequences could have been a lot worse.

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  12. Jacqueline Madrigal LuaSep 7, 2015, 1:56:00 AM

    In my opinion, the situation could've been handled in a more mature manner. It was't handled badly but it most definitely could've been handled in a better way. Kevin most likely did not expect his boss to come across the picture but if he needed to call off work, he should've been more careful on what he posted up on the internet. People really need to think twice on what their posting up on the media. The whole world is on the internet and everyone and anyone can see it. It can be shared, saved and spread out the whole world. Once you post it, it can't be deleted. Maybe by you, but not by the person who already saved it.

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  13. In my opinion, Kevin's boss went overboard by sending the photo to the entire company. If I were his boss, I would've sent the email to him and Jill only, just to let him know that we're on to him. That would be his warning so this situation does not occur again in the future. He is an intern and needs to learn how to be professional. Hopefully he learned his lesson.

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  14. My thoughts on this blog aren't very sympathetic towards Kevin, and I say this not to be mean. I say this because first of all, Kevin didn't really jump out the gate well, he basically lied to his boss and told him that he had to handle some family obligations. That's a border line lie depending on the circumstances of the situation, and if he was indeed with his family on Halloween or not. Also, he posted the picture publicly for people to see! That right there is enough to make an employer upset, but it doesn't give them the right to share their employees personal business with people who shouldn't be concerned with it. So all in all, I would say both are at a fault here, the employee for lying and posting about it, and the employer for sharing the information. - Joshua. Harris

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  15. Adriana FranciottiSep 7, 2015, 10:34:00 PM

    I feel like Kevin's boss was being unprofessional by sending the email to the entire company when it could have been kept between Kevin and his employer. On the other hand Kevin probably learned his lesson about lying to his boss, or at least how to cover for his lie better. There are many other consequences of sharing personal information online, especially with people you may not know well. Social networking is making people more susceptible to harmful situations from identity theft to stalking. Online, people will share more information than they ever would if a stranger came up to them on the street, because they believe that if it is online, they will be safe from whatever could happen as a consequence of sharing personal info with a stranger.

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  16. Celeste De La HuertaSep 8, 2015, 3:33:00 AM

    I agree with the class when I say that this young man didn't choose his actions wisely. He made himself dishonest to his boss and unprofessional to any other profssional onlookers. It was all around a bad idea to me.

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  17. Roberto Palacios (Ryosuke Takahashi)Sep 8, 2015, 10:56:00 AM

    Both parties were unprofessional. Kevin was being irresponsible by sending in his notice much too late. Sure he'd miss a day of work but at least his boss would know on time. However, it is still irresponsible to skip work. Furthermore, his boss was also irresponsible for sending the picture the whole company. This was a personal issue and could've been handled much better professionally. Public shaming is not exactly the correct route in this case. This is an example of where social networking can be a bad thing because it makes things like this easier.

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  18. Brandon BodenmillerSep 8, 2015, 11:00:00 AM

    If I was Kevin's boss I think I would wait until Kevin had returned to work and pulled him into the office. I believe that it was unprofessional of his boss to send it to the entire company. As far as Kevin goes I believe that he could have made better decisions then posting something that he did the night before and make an excuse why he wont be able to make it in to work. The fact that he posted what he did could have cost him his job if did not already. He let his team down and his boss. When we do things we should really think before acting because you may not only hurt yourself but you could hurt others as well.

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  19. Kevin should have been cautious of his actions and aware of what was on his social media. In a work environment it is highly expected to always be on your best behavior and show professionalism, even if it involves any online activities. Although Kevin's boss had no business being on Kevin's social media page, Kevin is a part of a business that others would love to have a position in. In order to keep that position he should be aware of his surroundings and what is posted on his social media to keep his title.

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