Can Facebook Get You Fired?

The Story

Angry at her boss, an ambulance company employee posted negative comments about him on her Facebook page.  Three weeks later, the employee was fired.  The company claims that the employee was terminated for other reasons, but the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is suing for illegal discharge.  The claim is based on the National Labor Relations Act, which protects employees' "concerted activity."  The claim also challenges the company's social media policy, which tries to curb employees' online comments about their companies. This case will be an interesting one to watch!

Update (2/8/11): The case was settled, which doesn't change laws around Facebook posts but does put companies on notice.

Discussion Starters

• The employee, Dawnmarie Souza, used strong language about her supervisor.  Legal or not, what's your view on whether this was a good idea?  
• What situations have you encountered where employees' (or students') Facebook post have gotten them in trouble?

Assignment Ideas

• First, consider NLRB's news release about the case.  In the third paragraph, the NLRB states that "the company's blogging and internet posting policy contained unlawful provisions, including one that prohibited employees from making disparaging remarks when discussing the company or supervisors and another that prohibited employees from depicting the company in any way over the internet without company permission."  Next, review a company's social media policy. (You'll find many here.)  Does the company's policy include language that restricts an employee's online activity?  If so, write an email to the company's VP, social media, explaining the situation and warning him or her that the policy is in question (although nothing has been decided yet).
• Research other cases where employees have been terminated for online comments.  Choose one situation to discuss with the rest of the class.  Do you think the termination was appropriate in this case?  Why or why not?
• Look at your Facebook page.  Are there any posts that could be called into question by a past or potential future employer?

Qantas Could Improve Communication After Emergency Landing

The Story

Fifteen minutes after taking off in London, a Qantas A380 flight made an emergency landing because of engine failure.  Fortunately, no one was hurt, but people on board were frightened, grounded passengers wanted more information, and Twitter was abuzz with misinformation.

Discussion Starters

• Who are Qantas' primary audiences for communication during this incident?
• What were Qantas' missed opportunities in communicating about the plane damage and emergency landing?
• What communication media are available to Qantas, and which should take priority for their messages during this time?
• Read the grounded passenger's perspective about communication from Qantas.  What could airline personnel have done differently for the Los Angeles passengers?

Assignment Ideas

• Create a communication plan for potential future airline crises.  Identify all internal and external audiences, objectives for communicating with each audience, preferred media for each group, and sequence of messages.
• Read the article about Qantas' lackluster Twitter response.  Write a few Tweets on behalf of the company to address these concerns.

German Companies Block Social Networks

The Story

To reduce security threats and address concerns about productivity, several German companies are blocking employees' access to social networks.

 

Discussion Starters

• If you have worked in an office environment, how active were you on social networks like Facebook? Did this affect your productivity?
• Will this action stop employees from participating in social networks?  Why or why not?
• The move addresses concerns about viruses and employees revealing trade secrets online. How will blocking access to social networks address these concerns?  How will they fail to address these issues?
• What are the downsides of blocking employees' access?  What are the benefits to companies of having employees contribute information about their brand on social networks?

Assignment Ideas

• Employees can speak positively on behalf on their companies, which could promote a brand.  Contribute a positive comment about a company or brand on a social network. 
• Review a Facebook fan page for your favorite brand or product.  Analyze the comments: are most comments positive or negative?  What can you conclude about this?
• How does this policy of German companies compare with common policies of U.S. companies?  Review a few social media policies of U.S. companies and write a report to summarize your findings.

World Series Goes Social

The Story

Opening Day of the World Series brings new ways for fans to celebrate -- and commiserate -- with other fans.

 

 

 Discussion Starters

• How would you expect social media tools to affect MLB fans'  connection to the games and to each other?
• From the teams' owners' perspective, what are the challenges of managing social media?  What are the benefits to the teams?

Activity Ideas

• Compare Facebook fan pages of the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. Which is more effective for engaging fans and why?  Write an email to the creator of the weaker fan page with 3-4 suggestions for improvement.
• In small groups, search for news about the World Series on Twitter.  What keywords work best for your search?  What does your search reveal about how people are using Twitter?

University Blocks Access to Social Media

The Story

Could you live without Facebook for a week?  Students at the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology couldn't. To encourage students, faculty, and staff to think about the role social media plays in their lives, the university blocked access to several social media sites from the campus network.  University officials estimate about 10% of the students went "cold turkey."  The rest used their smartphones or other wireless networks to stay connected.

Read more here.  Image source: blog.theduffyagency.com.

Discussion Starters

• Why would the university block access to social media sites? Ideally, what was the administration hoping would happen?
• What are the downsides of the university's move? What were the possible repercussions for students, staff, faculty, and the university as a whole?
• Overall, do you think this was a good strategy for the university? How would you react if your school blocked access to sites for a week?

Assignment Ideas

• In small groups, discuss how you use social networking as a distraction.  How does your online activity prevent you from doing your work and from participating in other types of communication?
• Give it a try!  Take a break from Facebook and your other favorite social networking sites for a week (or how about a day?).  After the break, write a brief memo to your instructor to discuss what you missed out on and what you gained from the experience.

Craigslist De-lists Adult Services Ads

The Story

Big news this week about Craigslist's decision to censor its adult services ads.  Craigslist has been under fire for allowing not-so-subtle ads for prostitution -- ads that people claim have facilitated human trafficking and assaults against women.  Before this decision, a CNN reporter asked Craig Newmark, the company founder, blunt questions about the ads.  Newmark didn't handle the situation very well, and the company has been criticized for its lack of communication around the censorship decision.

Read more here.

Discussion Starters

• From the company's perspective, what are the arguments for and against excluding adult services ads on Craigslist?  Do you think the company made the best decision?  Why or why not?  Read more from the Wall Street Journal here.
• On Craigslist's website, the company posted the word "censored" with a black background over the former adult services category.  Why did the company choose this way to communicate the decision (with no news statement or press release, at the same time)?

Assignment Ideas

• Watch the CNN video with Craig Newmark and evaluate his response to the reporter's questions.  In small groups, first discuss Newmark's approach.  Why did he react this way and resist her questions?  Second, discuss alternatives.  What could Newmark have done to come across more positively?
• Craigslist has not yet issued a news statement, but is expected to do so.  Before you look at the statement, write your own.  How would you represent the decision to the media?  After the company's statement is issued, compare it to your version.  What differences do you observe?

Get Your Inbox in Order

The Story

Google just released a beta version of Priority Inbox, a tool to help you manage your Gmail.  Priority Inbox categorizes messages, so you see the most important first.  This may be a good way to manage some of your email overload.

Read more.

Discussion Starters 

• What are the effects of email overload?  What challenges do you face in managing your own email?
• What alternatives to email are discussed in Chapter 1 and elsewhere in the book?
• In what ways do you think Gmail Priority Inbox might be useful for you?  What new problems could it cause?

Assignment Ideas

• In small groups, discuss ways you manage email messages today (e.g., filters, rules, folders). On your own, try one or two of the ideas you heard from other students. See what works for you.
• If you use Gmail, install Priority Inbox and give it a try.  If you haven't used Gmail, sign up for a free account and see how email is managed through conversations.  Try it for a week to compare it to your current program.

JetBlue Finally Comments on Flight Attendant's Dramatic Exit

The Story

If you watched any news this week, you heard about Steven Slater, the JetBlue flight attendant who, after cursing passengers over the intercom, grabbed two beers, inflated the emergency chute, and slid off the plane.  He was arrested but has since been released from jail.  JetBlue, normally a chatty social media participant, has been suspiciously quiet during the past few days (possibly on advice from the legal department).  But on Wednesday, they finally addressed the situation, with a light-hearted blog post that included a link to the movie trailer for Office Space. 

Read more.

Discussion Starters

• Reading about the situation, do you empathize with Slater?  Some call him a "folk hero," while others refer to him as the "Bag Nazi."  Which camp are you in?
• What other avenues could Slater have taken?  Surely he had other choices.
• How do you interpret JetBlue's initial silence and then the company's blog post?  Was this a good approach?

Assignment Ideas

• Imagine that you're Steven Slater, working for the airlines for 20 years. After reading the story (and perhaps from your own air travel experience), write an email from Slater to the management team at JetBlue.  Of course, you can be honest, but try to control your comments and tone better than Slater did on the plane.  From Slater's perspective, what recommendations would you make for the industry to change its practices?  Write a persuasive email.
• Write an email to JetBlue's legal department, trying to persuade them to allow you to blog more (and earlier) about the incident.  Explain the importance of online relationships and why being silent isn't a good approach.  You might want to acknowledge the obvious objections, too.

"Refudiate" This!

The Story

Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and U.S. vice presidential nominee, creates a new word. A blend of refute and repudiate, "refudiate" seems to fit the bill.  After making headline news, here's her response in a tweet.

Discussion Starters

• Sarah Palin's gaffe has caused quite a stir in the media.  Is this fair?  Sure, she may run for U.S. President in 2012, but we all make mistakes, right?
• Sarah Palin's first response to the media attention was to remove her tweet.  Then, she posted her short explanation.  Was this the best approach for her?  Why or why not?
• What's the danger of using malapropisms?  Do you see a downside?
• Why does language evolve?  What are other examples of recent additions to the English language?  Could "refudiate" be the latest addition?  Why or why not?

Assignment Ideas

• Advise Sarah Palin on a better editing process for Twitter.  Write an email with your recommendations using guidelines from Chapter 5 and your own thinking about Twitter.
• Debate with a partner Sarah Palin's use of "Got to" instead of "Gotta" in her tweet.  Have one of you argue that "Got to" is more appropriate and the other support "Gotta."  Which is the better argument? 

Best Buy Employee Insults Apple and Customers

The Story

Brian Maupin, a Best Buy employee, was reprimanded after posting videos about the company on YouTube.  His first cartoon video, which has amassed over 4.7 million views, mocked a customer of "Phone Mart," desperate for the latest version of the iPhone.  Apparently, Best Buy planned to fire Maupin, but management changed its mind after the media attention. 

 
 
Read more about the situation here on TechCrunch.
Watch the first video here (warning: very rude and lots of cursing, so you may want to skip this one) and the interaction with the corporate executive here.

Discussion Starters

• Was Maupin's behavior ethical? Was Best Buy right to suspend him? Should the company have fired him?
• If Maupin was frustrated by Best Buy's sales policies (which he addressed in another video that was removed), how could he have handled the situation differently? What internal channels may have been more appropriate for him?
• If you were the CEO of Best Buy or another company, how could you deter employees from going public with negative information?  Think about communication and management practices as well as internal, online media that may prevent a situation like this.

Assignment Ideas

• Imagine you're Brian Maupin's manager at Best Buy.  If you had a chance to speak with him about the situation, what would you say?  What questions would you ask him to learn more about his mindset?  Role play the scenario with a classmate.
• Search online for a company's social media policy.  You'll find several here.  Write a memo to the chief ethics officer with your analysis of the policy.  What works well in communicating guidelines to employees, and what could be improved? 
• Write a statement on behalf of Best Buy in response to the situation.  What would you say in a news release to give your perspective of the videos and repair the company's reputation? 

BP Adversary Fakes a Twitter Account

The Story

Someone has been having a lot of fun mocking BP and the oil spill disaster.  Posing as BP Public Relations, the writer has over 180,000 followers as of July 2010 (compared to BP's real Twitter page, which has only 16,000). 

Source: http://twitter.com/bpglobalpr

Discussion Starters

• How do these tweets affect BP's credibility and its own efforts to manage its reputation?
• Can BP stop this Twitterer?  If not, should the company respond in some way?  What are the risks of responding? 
• How can BP use its own social networking presence to combat this site? 

Assignment Ideas

• Address the fake Twitter account.  Decide whether you'll write a public news release, write an article for the BP web site, create a video, or respond in some other way.  Produce your response.
• Write a recommendation report to BP's lead Twitterer with your analysis of the company's real Twitter page.  First, research how to use Twitter successfully.  You might look at online articles to start.  Next, plan, draft, and revise your report to reflect your analysis: what works well, and what would you suggest the Twitterer change?
• Write a few new tweets for BP's real Twitter page.  How would you communicate with people during this crisis?