Post #7 – Explore the video provided and reflect on the themes and questions below by reflecting on how you would curate your social media with a critical public audience.

Identify the risks and benefits of engaging with a public audience in a media space – what are the risks for a public figure or person in a position of trust (educator, lawyer, government official)?

There are many risks for public figures when engaging with an audience in a public space. The main risk would be the loss of your job for saying something online that doesn’t align with your companies’ values. This could be detrimental in the way humans have conversations by muting people who feel unsafe from expressing their personal views on an issue. This is quite troubling as I feel many of our smartest people holding high level occupations are unable to express their opinions on issues in fear of being fired from their jobs.

Further your thoughts by exploring how employers use social media policy to hire, terminate or suspend individuals who use social media inappropriately or contrary to employer expectations – how would you address negative replies and critiques reflective of your personal values and employer social media policy? Can you provide notable examples?

Unless you keep your accounts on private, anyone in the world has the ability to see what you are posting online. Employers are using social media more than ever while analysing prospective employees. Job seekers must be mindful of the eyes that may be on their profiles because it could be the difference between getting the job or not. I feel that social media screening is a good idea in practice, but I also believe that it is overused and may not be as important in the big picture. I think if an employer has differing views from an employee on certain issues, it is not the defining answer of whether or not the person is a capable employee.

How do notable individuals use social media?

Notable individuals use social media as a means of communication with their fans/customers/family and as a marketing tool to grow their personal brands. They normally stay away from negative commentary and keep things positive.

What are the benefits of being in the public eye and having a PLN? (career development in the public eye)

Developing your career in the public eye can have major benefits to you if done properly. A public PLN allows you to be exposed to everybody during your career rise and will allow others to see your value and will in turn grow your PLN into something more powerful as time goes on. You will develop many connections throughout this journey that will only make your career goals more achievable and accessible.

Building community with online tools provided by the employer can be limiting, what are the perceived restrictions and benefits of having social media directly associated with employment? (verified accounts because of employment, accounts that are professional versus personal, hybrid accounts)

One benefits of having an exclusive online community for work purposes are ease of communication between all members of the team. At my last restaurant job, there was an app we used called 7Shifts that all staff members were able to communicate on. It was easy for managers to get announcements out to the staff and for staff to gets shifts covered last minute. It was also very beneficial for staff gatherings which aided in the community aspects of work.

Delivering information in a connected society requires verifiable resources, how does one build a PLN that can be consistently relied on?

Building a PLN that you can trust and rely on is very important. Use your intuition and make sure to have an inclusive and diverse PLN. Be mindful to listen to every angle of a situation and narrow down the people you trust so you are not being fed unverified information that will distort your ideologies.

How do those, who are veteran storytellers, minimize risk in sharing misinformation?

Veteran storytellers could minimize their risk by focusing on areas that they are well versed in, rather than veering into areas that they are unfamiliar because there are many consequences for spreading misinformation.

 

Reference

Hirst, M. Navigating social journalism.