Teens and Facebook: Permission to stay connected or risk to employers?

Today’s teenagers were born into an era in which they never knew a world without TiVo, internet or chat rooms.  Whether at school, work or band camp, kids are social in person, and  they take their expectations on remaining plugged in wherever they go.    Will their habits succeed in the workplace, or crash and burn?

This month Junior Achievement and accounting firm Deloitte released a survey report about teenagers and their expectations about social networking habits on the job.

In our mobile society this probably would not come as much of a surprise to anyone:

The report found that 88 percent teens surveyed use social networks every day, with 70 percent saying they participate in social networking an hour or more daily.

More telling however, was that half (58 percent) said they would consider their ability to access social networks at work when considering a job offer from a potential employer.

Although the majority of teens surveyed stated they do not behave unethically while using social networks (83 percent), the report found conflicting information.  Read on for some statistics:

• 40 % do not consider the potential reactions of college admissions officers
• 38 % do not consider the reactions of present or future employers
• 30 % do not consider their parents’ reactions.
• 16 % readily admitted to behavior that included posting content embarrassing to others, spreading rumors and pretending to be someone other than themselves, with a vast majority of them expressing regret later about doing so.

These figures provide some soboring statistics for employers.   A lack of mindfulness can hurt a friendship, and yes, that can be costly to the individuals involved.  But what if you’re a business owner?   The implications of an employee’s post can put the costs (both financial and reputation) to a company beyond repair.  The cost from bad pr, lost sales or even a lawsuit due to an employee’s action spreading rumors about co-workers or managers and leaking proprietary information can be overwhelming.

As the job force of the future puts such an emphasis on social media, additional training and education is required.  As employers may be less familiar with social media tools than their young hires, they will need to consider enhanced training and communication relative to social networking in order to recruit the best and brightest.  However, teens entering the workforce may also need to learn some lessons about ethical decision-making tools to help them understand the importance of behaving with integrity on- and offline.   After all, once something is posted, it can live on forever.

Currently more than half of the companies surveyed by the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics do not have a social medial policy.  Employers need to recognize that policies should be created sooner than later to avoid risk.   I am a legal marketer by trade, and love the e-blasts sent by Jaffe Associates.   I’ve provided a link for their published  Social Media policy.   This is a good sample, regardless of industry.   But definitely work with your HR and legal department to make sure this is right for your company.

A little leg work now, and employers and recruits can interact with each other safely and effectively.

New Media: beating cyberbullies at their own game

With advances in technology, individuals can use it for good or for evil. An unfortunate result of online communication is cyberbullying.

Today CNN is featuring a success story in which a bulled teen was able to turn the tables by using new media aganst her attackers. A video of a student being filmed was posted on Social Media sites YouTube and CNN ireport. The video received many views, including one by a local reporter, who notified the authorities. A clip to the video can be viewed here.

Cyberbullying is a term that can relate to many things: A chat room discussion. Fake profiles on a social networking site. Unflattering video or image posts. Hurtful instant messages. These are all ways to harass, ridicule, embarrass or threaten another person.

The problem is that what used to happen on school grounds has spread to the masses. Cyberbullies can enroll other students to join in that may normally not be an active participant on school grounds. The end result that unseen people who wouldn’t normally bully don’t take it as seriously because there is an sense of anonymity behind a keyboard or mobile device. As we’ve seen in recent headlines, the end result of Cyberbulling can be deadly.

A national law enforcement survey released some alarming statistics. Their poll of children and teens found that one in three teens and one in six preteens have been victims of cyber bullying. Estimates show that more than 13 million children aged 6 to 17 were victims of cyber bullying. Read more for some additional alarming statistics:

– One-third of all teens (12-17) and one-sixth of children ages 6-11 have had mean, threatening or embarrassing things said about them online.

– 10 percent of the teens and four percent of the younger children were threatened online with physical harm.

Most alarming statistic? More than 2 million of those victims did not report the cyberbullying.

Through social media, the victim was able to use the same tools in order to report the problem. Well done.

Using social media — charity cause or bandwagon approach?

In light of social media, a laundry list of new terms have come to life. “Friending” is now a verb, and “Tweets” are much, much more than what my pet parrot Cosmo greets me with.

One of the newest terms that crossed my radar is “Slactivism.” According to the Urban Dictionary, a must-have reference these days, a slactivist is defined as one who feels a need to be politically active, but doesn’t quite know how and thereby jumps on the nearest bandwagon cause.

Without question, social media lets people connect with each other, and organizations can use these relationships to increase awareness.

However, does clicking on a charity event on Facebook really do much good? This trend has been criticized that click through activism can be ineffective, as people are just using their mouse clicks to fake awareness.

As people have limited time, would online “slacktivism” replace in-person volunteerism? Would kids be without mentors, or walk-a-thons without participants?

Can social media have a bigger impact than a bandwagon approach? The answer? Yes!

Causes, an online application for Facebook and MySpace was released in 2007. The application promotes viral financial donations charities and nonprofits. In just two years, the company has registered an impressive bank of statistics on usage and donation numbers. As of June 2009, over 70 million users registered to support more than 53,000 registered non-profit causes worldwide. In just two years, Causes campaigns have raised over $10 million dollars. Although Causes does keep 4% of the proceeds, this is still remarkably better than the 7-12% average that is spent on fundraising by other not-for-profit tactics.

According to a study by Mashable.com, the key to online giving through social media is trust, both from the organization, and from those people you connect with. By building a dialogue based on trust and openness, charities have an opportunity to effectively fundraise. But by engaging with its audience, the organization may also be able to gainer support with calls to action for an increase volunteers.

A recent example occurred in my hometown of Buffalo, NY. Hit show Extreme Home Makeover rebuilt the home of one needy family. A mass social networking campaign garnered a record number of volunteers – over 5,000 in all. With the largest volunteer turnout, volunteers gave the entire neighborhood makeover.

Yes, landscape has changed for charities. And pursuing web-based activism, the opportunity is prime for organizations to connect with a wider audience. As the message is spread from person to person, nonprofit organizations have an opportunity to raise money and bring a community together, both in person and online.