I’ve been trying to think of a good way to enlighten some of the younger generation that what they post on social media sites such as Facebook matters.  Not just photos, but the language they use.  Sometimes vulgar.  Sometimes profane. Sometimes just inconsiderate.  I don’t think I could have found a better means than this article.  The crassness of, mostly younger, Americans is bordering on the absurd.  While I understand blurting out in anger or frustration on the rare occasion of something REALLY appalling, I find it completely incomprehensible that people think it appropriate to use such language in everyday, casual “conversation”.  This though is for a later time.

Regarding what one puts on these social media sites, if you are not concerned about what your family and friends think, ok.  Although I’m curious as to why you wouldn’t be.  However, if you don’t think your employer (or potential employers) will find out, think again.  If you don’t think it will impact your career progression, think again.  If you don’t think it will affect your employability, think again.  And keep in mind,  it’s not like a “slip up” in the office or just whatever language you may use in the bar scene – things of  which there is no record and that will be forgotten over time (presuming they don’t impact you immediately).  I don’t want to suggest such things are ok.  Consider civility in all aspects of your life.  But always remember, what you post now will live in cyberspace forever!  Try and chalk it up to youth.  See how far that gets you.  Always think long-term.  Our 21stCentury technology has given us many advantages.  However, if you want to make the most of them, consider how you use that technology.  This is not the first instance and certainly will not be the last…  Consider the following:

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MSN News (22 Nov 12)

Mass. woman loses job after posting photo on Facebook

A Massachusetts woman who posted a controversial photo on Facebook of herself at Arlington National Cemetery with her middle finger raised has lost her job due to controversy over the picture.

A Plymouth, Mass., woman whose “clowning around” photo at Arlington National Cemetery became the focus of online furor after she posted it on Facebook has resigned her job due to the controversy.
Lindsey Stone, a Plymouth, Mass., resident, posted a photo of herself on Facebook with her middle finger raised and pretending to shout next to a sign asking for “silence and respect” near the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery. The photo was taken by a co-worker, Jamie Schuh, when the two were on a business trip to Washington, D.C., last month.
The posting ignited an online furor that included a “Fire Lindsey Stone” page on Facebook. Stone apologized through her father, Peter Stone, according to a Washington, D.C., TV station. Her father said she was clowning around and was reacting to the sign and not Arlington Cemetery.
According to the Boston Herald, Stone has resigned from the Cape Cod nonprofit, LIFE Inc., that she worked for and her resignation has been accepted. In a posting on its Facebook page, LIFE Inc., said both Stone and Schuh were no longer employees of the nonprofit.
“We deeply regret any disrespect to members of the military and their families,” the LIFE Inc. post said. “The incident and publicity has been very upsetting to the learning disabled population we serve.”
Both Stone and Schuh had been placed on unpaid leave while LIFE Inc., which helps adults with special needs, investigated.The Boston Herald quoted her father as saying: “She’s not happy at all. She’s just devastated. She had no idea that she was going to hurt anybody. It was never her intention.”
>>> The day is at a close, the night is drawing in and my cigar awaits – ’til next time…