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Basic social networking advice:
Use common sense

As a school district and/or technical college employee, you must exercise extreme caution when you engage in social networking sites, blogging or other forms of internet communication. Your internet communication can have an adverse effect on your employment. If you blog or maintain a web page on a social networking website, use the following tips:
  1. Minimize the risk associated with internet communication by limiting access to your web page or blog using a “friends only” or similar restrictive setting. Do not accept students as “friends” on a personal web page.
  2. If visitors can post to your blog or web page, monitor postings constantly and remove any that are inappropriate.
  3. Do not blog or post about your job duties, colleagues, supervisors or students. This will reduce the danger that you might disclose confidential information, share information about a private workplace complaint, or otherwise unintentionally engage in speech which could lead to an adverse employment action.
  4. If you choose to blog or post as a citizen about a non-job related matter of public concern (i.e., the elections, terrorism or environmental issues) take care that what you say will not undermine your employer or otherwise disrupt your workplace.
  5. If you are blogging or posting about innocuous information (i.e. your favorite football team or family genealogy), you still must be careful not to engage in comments that could adversely affect your employer (i.e., damage the employer’s reputation) or interfere with your ability to carry out your job duties.
  6. Do not blog or post about personal subjects (i.e., dating, romance, or drug or alcohol use). Your blog or web page should not contain any references to sexual subjects, or contain vulgar or profane language or graphics. If your blog or web page was a movie, it should be rated “G.”
  7. Do not post photographs of you or your friends engaged in what others may consider inappropriate behavior. Remember that parents, students and community members may view your blog or web page. Think about the image that you want to portray to them.
  8. Check to see if your employer has any policies regarding blogging or web pages. If so, you should review the policy with your UniServ Director.
  9. Blogging and posting anonymously does not protect you. Names of bloggers, web page authors and other internet users can be discovered through litigation.
  10. Take the time necessary to monitor your internet communication to make sure you are following the tips above.
Please contact your UniServ Representative if you have any questions or work related issues regarding your internet communication. © Jonen 2009. All rights reserved. Adapted from Lynne Wilson’s NOLEA 2007 “Blogging 101”