Social networking sites: friends or foes?

In an article in a Dutch newspaper of July of this year (Nederlands Dagblad, July 22, 2010), several large companies spoke out against free use of social networking websites among their personnel. Big names such as IBM and Imtech were named, among others, as attempting to construct a social networking policy for anyone working for them. Not just in regards to using social networking websites while at work, but also to explore the possibility of policing the profiles employees create on such websites. In essence, certain companies are openly wondering: "what kind of profile fits our company and can we make an employee adjust their personal profile on website X when it doesn't meet our standards?"

Apparently they are not the only ones trying to figure this out. A simple Google search for "social networking policy" renders over ninty-one thousand results. Some are more relevant than others, but all together they show that this is definitely becoming somewhat of a hot topic.

Here's the problem with companies restricting their employees in their movement on social networking websites: the continuing trend is for companies to actually use social networking websites to their own advantages a lot of the time. Think of all the direct, personalized advertisements that can be (and are!) created and pushed on visitors of these websites. The information put on (semi-)public profiles on these websites is extremely valuable to many companies these days.

That is not all though: nowadays more and more companies appear to use social networking websites to screen their applicants. Even back in 2008, one in five managers said they used social networking websites to screen applicants; a third even going as far as to dismiss candidates after what they find online isn't what they were hoping for (Reuters, September 11, 2008).

So now they want to take the trend even further, and not only screen your online presence before you come in, but then continue to monitor your profiles on social networking websites. One can only assume it will be to see if you don't upload or write anything your boss might not like.

In a small poll (filled in by seven people at time of writing) on this very website, one person says they only lock photos they upload and one says they don't lock anything at all on any social networking profiles they might have. As far as Twitter goes, five out of seven people admit they do not lock the little messages away only to be seen by friends they decide to add. Any drunken messages, any rants at (former) employers and any pictures tweeted that you thought were funny at the time but really make you look rather like a drunkard/promiscuous wench/animal abuser/downright weird person --they're all out there for anyone to stumble upon. Anyone who does, will undoubtedly form an opinion.

So do you feel your online profiles are a good representation of you as a person? Would you mind an employer you would like to work for, to go looking through your social networking profiles? How about having them police your personal profiles once you work for them?

Who really decides where the line is drawn between work and private matters?