“It was my own fault,”
admitted 22-year-old Johnson. “I did write the message. But I had no idea that something that to me is very small could result in my losing my job.” A Quebec woman was
on leave from work and getting disability payments after being diagnosed with depression. But Nathalie Blanchard, then 29, posted photos on her Facebook page looking anything but depressed. They showed her at a Chippendales male strip show and frolicking on the beach. Blanchard’s insurer
saw the photos and quickly cut off payments saying that it was clear “she is no longer depressed.”
EMPLOYERS CHECKING These women aren’t
the fi rst Facebook users to get in trouble over inappropriate comments or pictures on their pages.
It’s happening more and more as corporate America cracks down on the online activities of its employees. According to a study by Internet
security fi rm Proofpoint, 1 in 5 large companies says it had issues with how employees use social media. Nearly 1 in 10 of those companies reports having fi red employees for their behavior on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. More employers are using services
such as those off ered by Social Intelligence Corp., a fast-growing fi rm that scours social media and Internet sites for information about employees and job applicants. They take the traditional
background checks that are commonly used by corporate human resource departments to look for things like criminal records — then
move on to track social media networks and individual blogs. “You cannot believe the things
that we see,” says Max Drucker, chief executive of Social Intelligence. “The amount of references to drugs and alcohol, and the amount of provocative photos and the things that people say, is jaw-dropping.” Some of their discoveries while
screening job applicants: A man who had an Internet photo
showing him holding multiple assault rifl es and a sword. A job seeker who was a member
of a racist Facebook group and made bigoted rants online. A woman whose Internet footprint
indicated drug use, including membership in a pro-cannabis campaign and Craigslist ads seeking OxyContin.
EASY TARGET Even if you don’t reveal bad
behavior online, your life could be made miserable if you list what seems like completely mundane information on Facebook. A study released by the Ponemon
Institute found that users of social media sites were at greater risk of physical theft and identity theft because of information they were sharing. Forty percent listed their home address on the sites and 65 percent didn’t even attempt to block strangers with privacy settings. So here are few safety-fi rst rules for Facebook and other social media sites. Your Birthday and Place. You can
say what day you were born, but if you add the year and place, it’s a great start for identity thieves looking to steal your fi nancial life. Vacation Plans. Post the photos on
Facebook when you return, if you like. But don’t alert criminals by letting everybody know ahead of time the house will be empty. “Can’t wait until I leave on Tuesday for my vacation in Hawaii!” is a gilt-edged invitation for burglars.
Password Clues. If you’ve got
online accounts, you’ve probably answered a dozen diff erent security questions, such as your mom’s maiden name, the city you were married in, or the name of your fi rst dog. Got that same stuff on the information page of your Facebook profi le? You’re giving crooks an easy way to guess your passwords.
EMBARRASSING CELLPHONE BLUNDERS
S
martphones can cause just as much
trouble as the Internet — and the smarter the phone, the trickier they can be. Ever pocket-dialed
your boss at midnight from your BlackBerry? Remember to lock
your smartphone by us- ing the lock button on top, or use the lock icon on your home screen. Ever had an urge to dash off a ven-
omous late-night text or email after a couple of drinks have loosened your inhibitions? Or send a romantic mes- sage that would leave you humiliated the next day? Do yourself a favor before you hit
the Send button for any emotional late-night text — press the “Menu” key and click “Save Draft.” The unsent draft message will stay in your mes- sages folder until you revisit it in the cold sober light of the next day. Always switch off your ring tone in that important meeting. If your favorite tune is something like Rick James’ “Super Freak,” it might not be appropriate for a business setting. And finally, keep those intimate
photos to yourself. You might want to show off the
crazy good time you had at the sales conference, but once you hit the Send button, that photo of you standing on the bar while doing karaoke could end up anywhere.
FEBRUARY 2012 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 63
©DESIGN PICS/SUPERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92