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As Facebook Flourishes, Take Precautions

The online social-networking site Facebook is a rather recent internet phenomenon, having only started in 2004 by a student working out of his Harvard dorm room. In just five short years, the site has grown to have over 200 million users (including myself).

The premise for this social network was to create an online version of the relationships people have in real life, and with its alarming growth rate of 5 million new users each week, Facebook may soon be the No. 1 way people choose to communicate over long-distances.

The way the site works is each user has a profile page where he or she can post pictures and information about themselves and their interests. Facebook users can become "friends" with other users and this enables them to see those friends' profile pages. Also, groups are formed which allow people with similar interests or something in common (such as a high school graduating class) to communicate with each other.

Popularity aside, Facebook user profiles unfortunately sometimes reveal too much about people which can interfere with important things like finding a job, keeping a job or, you guessed it, legal matters.

A lot of people know by now that if you are interviewing for a job, you need to have a "clean" Facebook profile. This obviously means no inappropriate photographs, crude language on wall posts or really anything that might be offensive to a potential employer who's looking to hire you. College graduates are now strongly encouraged to get their Facebook pages in order before they start job-hunting.

But now, keeping your job may be threatened by the use of the site. In late April, a Swiss insurance worker was fired after she called in sick to work and her boss noticed activity on her Facebook profile while she was supposedly resting at home. The breach of her boss' trust caused her to lose her job.

Not surprisingly, Facebook is now creeping into the legal world. If you're involved in any legal matter that is or might turn out to be adversarial, then you must be extremely careful with what you (or others) post on your Facebook profile. For instance, divorce lawyers are fast to capture the Facebook page of the other spouse before he or she gets wise and removes incriminating content. Any mention of, let's say, a new girlfriend, can be very detrimental to a divorce proceeding.

Injury claims are no different. If you are pursuing an injury claim, you must be careful of the accessibility of Facebook. If an injured party posts pictures or writes about a wild weekend, it could easily give an appearance which might be inconsistent with that person's claimed injuries.

Facebook can be a great tool for communication-I have a profile page and enjoy reconnecting with folks from high school and college. If you are on Facebook, feel free to invite me to be your friend. However, whatever you do just don't forget that everyone has access to it. If you're making a personal injury claim, going through a divorce or applying for a job, keep in mind that what you choose to put on your profile can quite easily affect your life. Future employers (and lawyers like me) are watching!

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