I read a post recently about how everything we publish online becomes a decision point for someone. The author, Scott Monty, was talking about this as it pertains to a businesses social media strategy but I think it’s great advice for our kids.
A few months ago, I met a young woman in her early twenties that was interviewing at our company. She presented herself very professionally and we brought her in to consult with us. After I met her, the first thing I did was search Google about her. Quite easily, I came across her Facebook page. There wasn’t anything particularly salacious on her page but it was easily found. As employers wrestle with this technology, I’ve often wondered about the future 10 years from now as our children have moved into the workplace. What influence will their social networking footprint have on their employment opportunities? Will the Facebook users of today understand that drunken frat party pictures do not necessarily reflect poorly on a 30 year old teacher looking for a job?
However it shakes out, it still is important to stress to the kids that are driving social media that there might be consequences to the digital footprints they leave behind.
