Facebook fear

I’ve been tossing around the idea of changing my name on Facebook. Like many people, I enjoy facebook. It has enabled me to keep in touch with old friends and has become another way of communicating. But there’s a growing debate not only about the safety of Facebook, but about its use when hiring employees.

As I have learned in some of my classes and discussions with guest speakers, an alarming amount of businesses and organizations have begun using Facebook as a tool for judging employees. What would you say if a company asked to view your Facebook profile? My automatic response would be ‘no’ – that’s personal, that’s private, but in another sense, what have we got to hide?

Exposing yourself on Facebook, some might say, is acceptable as long as your selected friends – and only them – can view your profile. Those who are conscious of their online reputation control the privacy settings in order to protect themselves. But what about those people who are unaware of these settings and unaware that their employers know what they did and who they did it with last Saturday night?

Earlier this week we held a debate in class about controversial topics. My group was given the ‘pro’ side of employers using Facebook when hiring new employees. We had 30 minutes to come up with our statements and strongest arguments. We concluded with: If you are a member of Facebook and have made yourself accessible then it is the employers right to conduct a reference check in order to protect themselves and their organization; therefore it is your right to deny access.

The other side argued that it is illegal for employers to ask about the religion, sexual orientation, etc. of an employee and by searching through Facebook they would be able to find that information. It was a good point, but I came back with the need for people to be aware and take responsibility for their own actions. On top of that, it’s up to the individual to write or omit those things, such as religion or age, in their “about me” sections.

You can see how there is a grey area between both sides. On the one hand, if I had my own company and I was interviewing candidates, would I want to learn that last weekend one of the interviewees put up pictures of animal abuse? Would I want someone like that working with me? On the other hand, if an employer was snooping through my page I would feel violated and mistrusted.

The more I learn about Facebook, the more I fear it. Not because I am ashamed of what I have on my profile, but because of the amount of information people can get from you. Employers aside – what about those old “friends” you added when you first joined, but haven’t seen for six years. Are they trustworthy? Do you want them to be seeing all those messages and pictures? I think Facebook has shown me how open and upfront some people can be, which isn’t always a good thing, especially when it comes to the internet.

My advice – enjoy Facebook and social networking, but be conscious because you never know who’s watching. Creepy!

Blogging starts to make the PR world go round

Blogs are a rapidly growing phenomenon. Overnight anyone can become a “published” writer, but what are the benefits and downside of this participatory practice? Can it be trusted? Well, that depends on which blogs you’re reading. As a journalism student I was always told to be honest and transparent in order to maintain my credibility and although the perception of public relations may appear differently, I can tell you that what we’re learning in corporate communications is no different.

Blogs are not only enabling companies and organizations to have a voice, they’re providing the appearance of a real person in which you can have a two-way conversation with. Maggie Fox, CEO and founder of the Social Media Group recently stopped into our classroom to talk about social media. She believes that blogs are “all about the content” and that companies that use them must live up to the promise of the brand. The advantage of a corporate blog is that there is a human face on the issue, which Maggie states is “valuable business intelligence.” People who have issues with a company can go on to the blog and find a human to talk to. Receiving a response shows that the company not only cares, but that they are concerned for their public.

She explained that the benefits of a corporate blog can be difficult to measure. In one example, a blogger named ‘Yellowknife’ from a Yamaha blog wrote that he was pleased to be able to get a real person to answer his concerns. Maggie states, “it’s hard to put a dollar value to thread where he shines a positive light on the company.”

Maggie’s views are echoed in Tony Martin’s recent article in the Globe, “They blog, therefore they are…better CEOs,” which explains how CEOs of major corporations are jumping into this evolving trend. Yet as much as these powerhouses are blogging, even more are listening. Check out what Martin wrote about Jim Estill, CEO of Synnex Canada Ltd.

Indeed, Mr. Estill may be one of Canada’s most regular CEO bloggers. He devotes about two hours a week to an average of three postings at his blog, called Time Leadership and located at http://www.jimestill.com. He estimates his blog receives 3,000 to 4,000 unique visitors a week.

Clearly there is a strong demand within the public to hear what CEOs have to say, but regular bloggers, such as Maggie Fox and Martin Waxman, founder and president of Palette PR, warn that it isn’t for everyone and that you must be cautious before hitting “publish.” In a recent podcast interview with Mr. Waxman, he mentioned that blogs are a big commitment and that although they are currently on the rise, he believes we will soon see many disappear with only a few key ones remaining.

So where did blogging come from and why are they becoming an ever more important component of public relations? Well, Maggie believes that the rise in blogging can be attributed to the changing ways that people are organizing themselves. Instead of connecting with people in our community, we’re connecting with people over the internet whom we share common interests with.

We’re entering into an exciting time for public relations and if you’re not already on the social media bandwagon, then what are you waiting for?

Word of mouth pays the bills

I had heard of people like Clem Cummings before, but I was still surprised when he told me what he did. “You’re a – what?” I remember asking. I intently listened as though I knew what it was, but as he continued to tell me, my mind wandered as I questioned – “is this for real?”

You see, Clem Cummings is a spiritual healer. He heals with his hands. He has powers given to him by “the heavenly father” and has the ability to mend people with cancer, AIDS and arthritis – so he tells me.

I met Clem, a Cree chief from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, on an Air Canada flight out of Pearson International Airport last week. He was a kind-looking man who happened to be sitting next to me. He was on his way to Goose Bay, Labrador. He had been there many times before. Clem, had been many places.

“Are you heading there for business.”

“Nope, nope. I am there to heal. I am a healer, you know. A spiritual healer.”

“Ohhh,” I said trying to mask my puzzlement.

Behind Clem’s silver hair, large glasses and rough skin seemed to be an old soul – a wise soul who I felt compelled and somewhat privileged to listen to. Soon after clicking my seatbelt shut, I realized that I needed a pen and paper and had to write my thoughts down.

“What is it that you do?” he asked.

“Umm well I am still in school. Just about to finish a program in corporate communications.”

He shook his head as if he was trying to figure out what it was. “Basically, I like writing and I want to write for companies and organizations.” Hopefully that made more sense.

“A writer!” Clem said enthusiastically. Perhaps I had given him the wrong impression, but what the heck – sure, I am a writer. “What do you write about? Who was the most interesting person you ever met?” Clem loved hearing what I had to say.

“We’re not allowed to have things written about us,” he told me. “That’s not what we’re about. We don’t want to advertise what we do. We work through word of mouth.”

All this time I kept thinking, pen, pen, pen, paper, paper. Must find something! Then Clem told me to write down his number in case I ever needed him for anything. “Oh, let me just grab a pen and paper!” Perfect. “Do you mind if I write a few things down?” He leaned in as though he was almost waiting for me to ask him that question.

I had so many questions. Was this his full-time job? Did he get paid for this? Was this entirely done by word of mouth? Oh, where do I begin? I wasn’t sure how much Clem wanted to tell me and I didn’t want to press too much.

“What do you mean by word of mouth?”

“I travel throughout the country, meeting people and helping them. They find us and we come.”

“So this is your – job? Or….” I trailed off.

“This is what I do. It’s all about love and peace.”

Clem seemed pleased to see me taking so many notes. He even enunciated the sentences he really wanted me to include. “Looooovvveeee and pppeeaaacceeeee.”

The power of word of mouth, I kept thinking. Here is a man who goes through his entire livelihood based on the communication between one individual to another to another to another. He doesn’t make much at what he does, but he also doesn’t need to.

“So what if I wrote something about you?” I asked.

“Well as long as you’re doing it for the greater good. That’s different. We are true healers. Some others – I don’t know. They can’t always be trusted. We are told not to advertise. But you can tell people about me – if they need me.”

Although Clem hadn’t answered my question, I got the sense that he didn’t mind me writing about him. Can blogging be considered, word of mouth?

What Clem does is foreign to me, yet his passion for it was enough to make me believe in him and hope for the sake of others that he truly heals people. He told me to give him a call in a few years when I was stuck in the “corporate jungle.” I laughed and wished him luck in Goose Bay.

Clem Cummings: 306-922-4929.