Dismissed for Facebook diss6 of 7June Talvitie-Siple was forced by community pressure to resign her $92,000-per-year position as math and science supervisor at a Cohasset, Mass., high school after calling residents "arrogant and snobby" on her Facebook page.The business world is riddled with similar incidents of online improprieties as public and private institutions grapple with the impact of social media, especially on hiring and firing practices.A 2010 Microsoft survey of U.S. human resources professionals found that 70 percent had rejected a job applicant based on information found online. But employers who inappropriately snoop online risk opening up a Pandora's box of privacy and discrimination claims.For example, a federal court in New Jersey fined a restaurant group $17,000 for violating the privacy of two employees by secretly monitoring their password-protected MySpace postings.Even the court system is wrestling with social media. Are tweets and Facebook postings admissible evidence? Or jury tampering? The jury is still out but the issue is real; one 2008 conviction was overturned because a juror didn't disclose that she was a MySpace friend with the defendant."Everything is now part of your permanent record," says Kane. Related Articles:Social media and careersBest iPhone financial appsSocial media money risksRelated Links:5 ways to give away your IDSocial media can sell homeAttract rich dates online advertisement
June Talvitie-Siple was forced by community pressure to resign her $92,000-per-year position as math and science supervisor at a Cohasset, Mass., high school after calling residents "arrogant and snobby" on her Facebook page.
The business world is riddled with similar incidents of online improprieties as public and private institutions grapple with the impact of social media, especially on hiring and firing practices.
A 2010 Microsoft survey of U.S. human resources professionals found that 70 percent had rejected a job applicant based on information found online. But employers who inappropriately snoop online risk opening up a Pandora's box of privacy and discrimination claims.
For example, a federal court in New Jersey fined a restaurant group $17,000 for violating the privacy of two employees by secretly monitoring their password-protected MySpace postings.
Even the court system is wrestling with social media. Are tweets and Facebook postings admissible evidence? Or jury tampering? The jury is still out but the issue is real; one 2008 conviction was overturned because a juror didn't disclose that she was a MySpace friend with the defendant.
"Everything is now part of your permanent record," says Kane.
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