Don't Put it in Writing!

I can't tell you how many times I've woken up, shuffled over to iMac, switched it on and logged into Facebook only to find some less-than-flattering photo, or post someone's uploaded onto their page, or friend's page, from the night night before. I generally just have a laugh, go put on a cup of tea, and get on with my online courses. But the other morning, I logged on to shoot off a quick message to my girlfriend in London, and at the top of my notification page, another girlfriend of mine had posted photos of herself at a party, in her bra, shot-gunning a beer. The status read, "Just another night out - The Before Shot". I laughed at first, but then I remember that she worked at a prestigious law firm, was a mother of four and head of several parental committees. And I started to worry, what's the "after" going to look like?

We all know that a picture says a thousand words. But words say so much more. I'll admit it, I judged. I immediately thought, what if the wrong person got a hold of those photos, or read through her posts and came to the wrong conclusions. She could lose her job, or worse, she could lose her children. I waffled for a couple of days. A part of me said I should just mind my own business, and laugh it off, but I just couldn't shake a nagging feeling.

I swallowed hard, picked up the phone and invited her for coffee. I didn't want her to feel like I was ambushing her, but I really was concerned. I know how hard she worked to get to where she was. Law school is no walk in the park, and neither is getting hired on somewhere half decent. So, I very delicately explained my concern, and braced for impact. It was like a light bulb came on, and she agreed with me 100%. She whipped out her iPhone and deleted the photos immediately, and thanked me for watching her back.

The moral of the story, never, ever post anything that could be misconstrued as sinister or inappropriate. We are an outwardly expressive culture, but we also live in an age of spies. I know it sounds a little Cold War-ish, but it's true. It's not uncommon for employers to go trolling for background information on a prospective or current employee. Shot-gun whatever you want, but don't write about it or post photographic evidence online!