For the past few years, there have been a number stories about people getting fired because of Facebook.  Most stories included people complaining about their bosses, talking badly about coworkers in public comments, or leaving negative status updates about their job in general.

If you don’t like your job and you go and tell your family or friends, you can’t get fired, right?  But, if your boss overheard that conversation, that’s a whole different story.  Saying something on Facebook is almost equivalent to telling everyone you know, plus giving many other people access to it.  If your boss isn’t your friend on Facebook, most companies will still be able to find your Facebook and look around.  It’s almost like a constant background check.

Now, saying something on your own Facebook (or Twitter or any social networking site) on your own time then getting fired for it might seem like a violation of your First Amendment right.  Maybe a federal law protects people from this kind of thing.  Well, according to the National Labor Relations Act, speaking your mind on Facebook to other employees is equal to sharing information at the water cooler.  And, it’s totally protected.

To me, Facebook is not equivalent to water cooler chitchat.  When you’re talking at the water cooler, it’s almost definite that not many people can hear you besides the ones you’re talking to.  On Facebook, hundreds of people can see what you’re saying at any given time.  If it was private messages between two coworkers, fine.  But a comment or status update about a job?  I think that’s overboard… and a call for action.

Businesses can have direct policies within their companies to avoid these questions.  Usually, the day you’re hired you have to sign a few papers that forbid you from talking about your job outside of your job.  Maybe you can’t tell outsiders specifics of how your job runs.  One of these forms also might be that you won’t talk badly about your job to anyone.  I think Facebook counts in that area.

For Internet Marketers, this is specifically tricky, especially if you’re a person who shares all information on social media sites.  Since all marketers are on Facebook and are probably friends with all their coworkers, joint venture partners, and future business partners, you definitely have to watch what you say.  No, you can’t get fired from people you don’t work with, but it can ruin your reputation if you talk badly about other people or businesses.

Maybe people should use Facebook to send out positive or neutral messages so there is no chance they could get in trouble.  If you want to complain, call up a friend or send a personal email.  This way, there’s no confusion.  Facebook is a public forum that anyone can read, so watch what you say.  But, on the other hand, Facebook is something people use on their own time, and maybe they should be allowed to say whatever they want.  What do you think?

Related posts:

1. Your Mom Hates Dead Space 2 – And So Should Facebook Advertisers
2. So, A Narcissistic, ADHD, Stalker Walks Into An Internet Bar…

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