What NOT to publish – Mag staff’s Facebook faceoff
I’ve done some incredibly stupid things in online communities. *blushes just thinking about them* It’s part of the process of We Media (that’s you and me) learning what to reveal and what not to reveal about ourselves. What do we want private and what do we want published on a blog somewhere, which is then…
I’ve done some incredibly stupid things in online communities. *blushes just thinking about them* It’s part of the process of We Media (that’s you and me) learning what to reveal and what not to reveal about ourselves. What do we want private and what do we want published on a blog somewhere, which is then pushed to a forum and then ends up on the front page of the Sydney Morning Herald? Who hasn’t been bitten on their bottom by an email sent in anger? Well, it’s not different if it’s status updates, blog posting, comments on forums… you get the picture.
So it is with a gobsmacked yet knowing look that I present this to you – courtesy of a bunch of publishing people right here in Australia. Career Limiting Move, wot? From news.com.au Daily Telegraph, who must be wetting their undies with mirth. And deleting themselves from groups…. 🙂
Mag staff’s Facebook faceoff
A GROUP of magazine-land staffers are facing a Facebook face-off with management after creating an online blog called “Kerry Packer’s Whores”, which attacked the company’s top executives.
Between ten and 15 Australian Consolidated Press employees – mainly from Dolly and Cleo – are understood to have created the group profile on the social networking site.
While the group’s profile has been removed, the blog is believed to have discussed everything from office furniture to the company’s sleazy middle managers, The Daily Telegraph’s media writer Fiona Connolly reports.
The female colleagues, understood to consist of editorial, advertising and retail sales staff, were identified because they used their real names and email addresses.
“The general attitude is people just can’t believe they’d do it,” an ACP source said yesterday.
“Seriously, what idiots.’‘
The rumour mill has gone into overdrive at the company’s Park St headquarters since the site was removed a fortnight ago.
Ironically, Dolly editor Bronwyn McCahon boasts on the teen mag’s website her staff are obsessed with Facebook right now.
The offenders have been dealt with by their heads of departments and despite word that two had been sacked, all remain employed.
ACP was owned by James Packer’s Publishing and Broadcasting Limited until earlier this year when he sold his majority stake to CVC Asia-Pacific.
They should just consider themselves lucky the big man himself isn’t still around to dish out the punishment.
Irony abounds. I guess they will be looking for jobs – I’d employ them. Why? Well, they get social networks and they sure as hell won’t make that mistake again. *laughs*
And btw, I’ve started a Facebook group called Facebook Status Updates- Speaking the Unspeakable:
…or how I nerfed my reputation in one hit of the ENTER key.
There’s things you can share with the world. And a few deep personal things you can share with your several hundred closest friends on Facebook. And then there’s those thoughts you should never EVER tell a soul.
Status Updates from Hell. CLMs (career limiting moves). How to lose a girl/boyfriend and gain an enemy in one easy move. You know what I’m talking about… Think. Before. You. Update.The.World.
Goes for Twitter too. Feel free to add examples of what not to update to the group – I included some famous people too – Paris Hilton is hoping she doesn’t get stopped on the way home cos she’s had a few drinks and oopsie, no licence. You get the idea… By the way I posted the article to Bloggerati Australia if you want to vote for it – under U SUCK!! Web 2.0 Stupidity. Heh.
Shows the Daily Tele writers really don’t understand the meaning of “irony”.
Believe it or not today I had to send an email to all-staff to say “It’s great you have a facebook group but don’t use the company name and logo in the title” – can you imagine if someone was searching for our company name and then gets a bunch of staffers moaning about awful customers or how hungover they are and how much they hate their job.
I love Facebook but I’d never add anyone from work to it. Going to keep that sooo separate. Especially as a lot of my status updates are “sick day as I’m hungover” 🙂
Cheryl you are gonna hate me – here’s a devil’s advocate approach – let them do what they want! That fourth wall (between consumer and company) is gonna come down anyway. And being united on issues under a company name gives a ‘family’ feeling. Nothing worse than hearing your company dissed in social networks and being ‘forbidden’ to speak up. Very old-school PR. And not one that the Gen Ys (and all Gen C) will take to.
It’s the same rationale as behind corporate and employee blogs – we trust a company more that shows us its errors than one that is behind a wall.
Isn’t it amazing what a corporate team building tool these social networks are, as long as there is only very limited controls put in by the company? Whatever those Cleo and Dolly folk got up to, one thing you can be sure, their TEAM is gonna be immensely strong. Even more so now they’ve been smacked. Heh. Cheaper than a corporate team building day. 🙂
Laurel – I do agree with you, but this was to the point of saying “Yay, we can say what we want about the company cos the boss can’t see us. Nyer nyer nyer”
It wasn’t useful interaction, was more like a bunch of young office workers (straight out of school) playing up when they thought the teacher was away.
I do agree that it would be useful for potential customers to see what you’re talking about, but only if you’re mature enough to know how to use the social networks – have a look for the Virgin Money group, now that is the way to do it.
Besides, I didn’t tell them not to use facebook, I just told them to take off the company logo and name as it’s akin to them smoking and beating up people while they’re dressed in their school uniform.