Safe to mix personal, professional online?

The device doesn't matter: will you get in trouble for your posts? (Credit: Associated Press)

 Can (or should) employers be able to fire or reprimand someone for something they do -- off the clock --  on the Internet?

Andy Huston
@hust0058, 4sqIndy

Can they? Yes. Should they? Maybe. The line may be less clear for those who are salaried versus hourly. You reflect upon your employer just as your employer reflects upon you. No disclaimer on your Twitter profile severs that relationship. **This does not represent the views of my employer, 4sqindy, Metromix, my wife, or that guy I had coffee with the other day.

Chris Theisen
@cjtheisen, director of digital communications for Hare Chevy

There are circumstances where I would agree with either side of that argument. My middle name is Switzerland, by the way.

Chris Banks
@CBanksIndy, founder of 4sqIndy
I think it’s perfectly fine.! If you’ve disclosed where you work, then people will always associate you with it. Take Chris Theisen (@cjtheisen), for example. He tweets about car news, and his Twitter account is even branded with the Hare Chevrolet logo. Yet at the bottom of !his bio he has “Director of Digital Communications for @harechevy the Oldest Transportation Company in America. Views my own.” Now, he has separated himself from his company by saying his views are his own, but because of the relationship we have on Twitter, Hare Chevrolet would be !the first place I would look for a new car. If Mr. Theisen would’ve tweeted in a way that was unbecoming of the Chevrolet brand, I wouldn’t be as quick to go buy a car from him. That’s why you should be reprimanded if you say something off-color online, and you should also be praised for being a brand ambassador when you do good for your company.

Jon Bausman
@JonBausman, director of media and brand development at Ricker Oil

If the separation between personal and professional life wasn’t difficult enough, social media is blurring that line even more.  I encourage employers to develop a social media policy as soon as possible because your employees are sharing their work life over social media. The last thing you want is a repeat of a “United Breaks Guitars” or “Dominos Employee” video going viral !on YouTube. If you want to see the damage that can be done, just watch both videos and see what happened to the companies.