Office And Social Networking Sites

Maybe it’s not a great idea to have your boss and colleagues as friends on social network

Social networking sites are now a rage around the world. It has very quickly caught on in the country. India had registered itself on the 20th spot as far as Facebook is concerned. Facebook is of course the world favourite so far as social networking goes. So you have your folks, friends, friends’ friends, random acquaintances, neighbours, sister’s girlfriends, trekking guide and your hair stylist all on Facebook. Brilliant. But what about people at work? Facebooking with colleagues leaves your personal life and information open to misinterpretation, false allegations and cyberbullying.

The pitfalls

You are not safe on social networking sites such as Facebook as anyone on your friends list can access your (daily) activity inside and outside the workplace.

• Too much sharing: If you believe in drawing a line between your friends and family on one side, and acquaintances and professional associates on the other, then think about the kind of access you are providing the latter. Your personal number, address, photos and private chats stand exposed to people you don’t perhaps even share a coffee with. The information may even be used against you. For instance, if you go for a drink on a weekday this information via photos on Facebook may be used by one of your colleagues to spread rumours that might interfere with your professional life.

• Misinterpretation: A friendly chat on a public forum with a colleague can even lead to grave misunderstandings and create havoc at work. A seemingly innocuous post like ‘What’s happening on the retrenchment front’, to a colleague can create unnecessary panic and lead to misunderstandings.

• Cyber bullying: Believe it or not, but cyber bullying by co-workers, especially young people, is on the rise. Your personal information could be used to open ‘fake profiles’ which could then be used to release compromising or ridiculous content against you.

• Inappropriate slips: Sometimes we get angry and frustrated with the work environment or workload. It’s only natural to let off some steam from time to time. Status messages have become very handy in this regard. But an inadvertent criticism against your company or boss made in the heat of the moment can lead to serious consequences.

Exercise caution

Friendly and transparent as you are, you still might need to click certain privacy option settings on Facebook. There are quite a number of options available on the site to insulate you from such unnecessary headaches in life.

• Think before you add: There is absolutely no need to add whoever tries and befriends you on Facebook. Ask yourself why you need to add someone from work or if you really want to accept this request. Remember, there is absolutely no obligation. You might want to network professionally as well, but then there are other sites such as Linkedin for strictly professional networking.

• Sort by list: In case you want to have your colleagues on Facebook then use the List option. Make separate lists for family, friends and colleagues.

• Adjust settings: Once you have put all your colleagues under “work” or whatever level, adjust the privacy settings of your group. There are two major areas where you should exercise this option. One is photos – both albums and tagged photographs, and the other is personal information. You can even set your wall settings to private if you don’t want anyone from work to snoop around.

Social networking sites come with their own share of loopholes and responsibilities. Although the question whether colleagues should be friends belongs to a larger debate, we can follow a middle path in the meanwhile and opt for a secure space in our cyber lives.