A Waitress Got Fired Because of a Facebook Update

A waitress in North Carolina got fired because of a Facebook thread. She was kept at work by a couple who stayed at a table for more than three hours and left her $5 tip. She actually worked one hour overtime because of this table. Afterwards, she posted an update on her Facebook page, calling the couple cheap, and mentioned the restaurant by name. Now, she became a famous unemployed waitress.

People recognize Facebook and other social networking sites as an effective communication tool, but not everyone notices the possible costs of social media. Here are some examples I heard over the years:

· Some Ivy League Schools check applicants’ Facebook pages for screening.
· Employers “background-check” applicants’ Facebook pages before making an offer.
· Several KFC employees were fired because they uploaded a YouTube video in which they took a shower in the restaurant’s kitchen sink.
· Burglar robbed people’s house after they found out from Facebook that the family was on vacation.

Such examples can go on and on. Here, I am not asking people to stop using Facebook or other social networking sites. Instead, I want people to be very careful when they post something online. Remember, everything in the Internet will be stored in some cyber places forever. Think again what “privacy” really means in the Internet. Sometimes, the most “private” information could become the most popular “gossip” in the real world. Do you agree?

References:
Metro.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok05192010
Cartoon was downloaded from Firefornow.com: http://tinyurl.com/linchikwok05192010P

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