Reputational threats risked by staff using social networking sites

23 November 2007

The reputational threats risked by staff using social networking sites in office hours has been mentioned a great deal over the last fortnight, not least since Tory aide Philip Clarke was suspended by the Conservatives for apparently posting a picture of a colleague with a cork blackened face and offensive caption on his Facebook site. We don’t know how his unfortunate colleague’s reputation has suffered or what has become of Mr Clarke, but the whole affair hasn’t done the Conservatives any favours. What also hasn’t been widely reported is that it is now even easier to access photos and information on the likes of Facebook as the contents and photos on such sites are now recoverable by way of a simple Google search thanks to changes to the way that Facebook is set up. Facebook users can restrict these new privacy settings so that photos and profiles can’t be viewed by the general public. Both Conservative Central Office and any company directors who want to maintain “a reputation for high standards of business conduct” would be well advised to make sure that their Facebooking staff do just that.

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First published on Gorkanaas part of Schillings' regular contribution to their site.
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