Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/55680
It's a new world now. If business schools don't create and share expectations about social media usage, they risk being harmed by uncontrolled information. if they want their names attached to a posting for the entire world to see. If they don't, they shouldn't put the item online. Personal social media comments Kate Klepper Victoria Crittenden behavior. But often students see no harm in posting about such "fun" events. Administrators must be sure students understand that such post- ings could harm the school's brand and the students' own professional images. Students should consider the true implications of "freedom of speech." Most students cherish their right to post what they like on their personal social networking pages. But schools should help students under- stand that their online postings are not the same as their face-to-face conver- sations. What they "say" online lasts indefinitely, so it's important that they put their words to their own simple tests before they post. Will the professor be unfairly portrayed by this comment? Is it an accurate representation of the course and my school? Will my class- mates be offended? Would I want cor- porate recruiters to know this about me before they meet me? By asking ques- tions such as these, students can better predict the negative consequences of a comment or photo before they post it. Postings should pass the "public versus anonymous" acid test. Social media potentially can be accessed by millions of readers, and Internet exchanges are never anonymous. ISPs can be tracked, company e-mail sys- tems can be monitored, friends can reveal the identity of a blog's author. Writers should always ask themselves should be posted only via private Internet service providers. Students should understand that anything posted via the university's server may blur the line between a personal post- ing and university governance. Spreading the Word To convey their netiquette expecta- tions, school might use a session at orientation to discuss with students both the positive and negative aspects of social media postings. Or perhaps the school could include social media expectations with acceptance packets, honor code information, or class syl- labi. At the same time, administrators don't want to come across as the social media police or the enemies of free speech. No matter how clear a school is about its netiquette rules, it needs to have a plan in place for how it will handle situations in which embarrassing content appears on social media sites. The severity of the responses should be deter- mined by how harmful a posting is to the school's relationships with stakeholders. For instance, a student might simply be asked to "take down" the photos he posted of his professor's cigar and Jäger- meister party. More punitive mea- sures might be called for when a student's online rants about a class project lead to a corporation with- drawing its support. And let's be clear—students aren't the only ones who post questionable items. Administrators need guidelines to tell them when a professor's unfortunate blog post- ing merits only a reprimand and when it might result in termination. Some people might wonder if harsh punitive measures violate freedom of speech laws, but there is a swell- ing rank of employees who have lost their jobs over personal posts. In any case, it's important that the school have a plan in place for deal- ing with indiscreet postings. New Digital World Educators have long understood that there must be policies with respect to academic dishonesty. Recently, programs have focused on core values and asked students to acknowledge these values when they become members of the academic community. Yet few business schools include proper social media behav- iors among their lists of core values. But it's a new world now. This technology is engrained in the lives of our students. If business schools don't create and share expectations about social media usage, they risk being harmed by uncontrolled information. Schools should encourage students to take part in the exciting social network- ing culture that is emerging online. But schools need to help students and faculty understand the kind of impact that thoughtless social media postings can have—and they need to let the whole community know that when such indiscretions turn hateful or harmful, there will be repercussions. ■ z Victoria L. Crittenden is an associate professor at the Carroll School of Management, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Kate Klepper is associate dean at Northeastern University's College of Business Administration in Boston, Massachusetts. BizEd MAY/JUNE 2010 73