Years ago, I was irritated when a person from my community was appointed to an elected position because of a vacancy. I never met the man, but I’m a little disgusted by him because of his past posts on Facebook. Borderline racist, disparaging comments to those in the community who have another viewpoint, and just other disturbing posts suggest that he isn’t someone that I want as an elected official. Luckily those posts cost him re-election.
My wife says I post too much on Facebook and she is probably right. I may post a lot, but I try to watch what I post. I avoid any comments that could be misinterpreted and considered hateful or in poor taste. I’m a little shell-shocked because I was accosted by my law firm’s managing attorney about some innocuous posts when I worked there. Your reputation in business means everything and you can’t let some silliness on social media get the better of you. Everyone loses their temper, but going online with diatribe posts means it’s likely to be preserved in one fashion or another.
I’ve seen way too many businesses and respected individuals who have suffered because they said way too much in social media posts that they couldn’t take back. I know I certainly say too much in many of my posts concerning old places I worked or organizations I belonged to, but I always see that as a teaching moment. I try to avoid political comments on my business social media, but no one could accuse me of social media posts that could land me in hot water for being insensitive or divisive. The point is to avoid any social media posts that make you look like a creep.
