Your Facebook profile could get you the sack

After an Apple employee was fired for ranting about his iPhone on Facebook, Robert Powell looks at the information you should never put online
By Robert Powell, lovemoney.com | Yahoo! Finance UK 6 hours ago

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Making the world more open and connected is the mantra trumpeted by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg as the key aim behind his social networking giant. And isnt that a nice, fluffy idea? Well, it is, so long as you know exactly who you are being open and connected with. And as one lowly ex-employee recently found: most of the time, you dont. iFool Samuel Crisp is a genius. Or, more accurately, he was, until he got sacked from Apples Genius Bar (thats the repair shop to you and I) in Norwich for behaving like something of an iFool on his iPhone. Yes, Mr Crisp took to Facebook to vent some rage against an app on his handset that had messed up (not the exact words used) the phones time zones.

He also poked fun at the tagline that was used by Apple to launch the Beatles' back catalogue: Tomorrow is another day that youll never forget by posting tomorrows just another day that hopefully Ill forget. Employment tribunal After being shown the door by Apple, Mr Crisp appealed to an employment tribunal about his sacking. He contended that the remarks were private and hence should not have impacted on his employment. However the tribunal sided with Apple and said that the comments could have easily been passed on without any control from Mr Crisp. The tribunal also heard that the ex-Apple employee had become disgruntled with the company after missing out on a transfer to the United States. Social media policy Part of the reason why Apple was able to dispatch the loose-lipped worker so easily was that it had written in social media guidelines that all employees had to abide by. In a copy of the document leaked to the magazine PC World, the company states that if you identify yourself as an Apple employee you should ensure that content associated with you is consistent with Apple policies. It goes on to say that all Apple workers should comply with the companys business conduct policy on threat of disciplinary action up to and including termination of employment. A guideline Samuel Crisp now knows all too well. Spleen venting Employment disputes surrounding comments posted online have become more common over the last few years. And they dont necessarily have to be of a direct spleen venting against your employer nature to result in a sacking. Personal insults against colleagues and unsavoury or ill-timed status updates and photos could also land you a booking at the job centre. Yes, you may have thoroughly enjoyed your boozy weekend away with the lads but theres no need for the world to see you drinking tequila from an armpit, is there? Job hunters beware You should be even more cautious with your online identity if youre currently on the job hunt. Almost half of employers reportedly check the Facebook accounts of applicants as part of the recruitment process. So if youve just come out of university and are looking for a job, its probably best to give your online persona something of a face-lift before sending off any CVs. But rude and insulting comments and arent the only things you should avoid putting online. Holiday plans Nothing says come and burgle my empty house while Im away like an excited status update boasting of a looming holiday. If you do want all of your mates to know about your plush trip to New York, for goodness sake wait until you get back to brag about it. But even then, try not to include any photos of the brand new laptop or iPad you brought back with you. Theres no need to give criminals a shopping list for your home now, is there? Indeed, the fact that so many of us are posting this potentially risky info online has got insurers worried, with warnings that it may lead to higher premiums.

[See also: Why Facebook means your bills will rise] Photos and location data Sharing photos is a key part of any social networker's online life. However, be careful which snaps you upload. As I mentioned earlier, embarrassing shots could land you in trouble with your employer. But overly detailed and extensive photos of your home can also provide something of a road map for a robbery if accessed by the wrong person. You should also be careful when using location-based applications. Facebook Places may allow you to check in with your flatmates at a pricey restaurant and show the world what a sophisticated palette you have, but it also lets burglars know that your property is empty. Personal information Obvious stuff really. Never, ever put your address, telephone number, birth date and place, mother's maiden name or any other personal information online. On an obvious level this information can be used to locate your home and target you with phone, text and mail fraud or spam. But further to this, many will use personal information as passwords for online accounts. Yet this information stops being so personal if you broadcast it to the world through your Facebook account. So dont do it! In fact, you shouldnt be using personal information as passwords anyway. An example. Last week the credit card of my somewhat techno-phobic parents was charged 130 for an Amazon gift voucher. How? Someone had mysteriously hacked into their Amazon account by cracking its cryptic password. And this unbreakable key word was the home postcode. Mind your privates In addition to taking care over what you put online, its also worth keeping a firm grip on who exactly can access your information. You can do this by cranking up the privacy settings on any sites you use. For example, Facebook asks that you specify which online groups can see what information of yours. For me, this option is set firmly to friends only. This means that only users that I agree to befriend can get hold of the sparse collection of information on my profile. From here, you just need to ensure that you never accept friend requests from strangers. A just sacking? Should Mr Crisp have been sacked for bashing Apple on Facebook? Have your say using the comment box below. More from lovemoney.com Why Facebook means your bills will rise Plan early for a low-cost Christmas Are you spending more than the average? @YahooFinanceUK on Twitter

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 44Thumbs UpThumbs Down2 nailed 6 hours ago Report Abuse From the above points, it looks like you should never use your own name! ie. be like the 500m fake users on the site! 4 Replies

141Thumbs UpThumbs Down11 Patti 5 hours ago Report Abuse The simple answer is DON'T USE FACEBOOK!!!! 7 Replies

78Thumbs UpThumbs Down4 ANDREW Yesterday Report Abuse If you have to have a Facebook account (and I don't because of my own personal misgivings about social networking) then you have to accept that there has to be a 'code of conduct'. Facebook is about 'social' and NOT 'professional' networking - keep the two completely separate and you won't end up... More 6 Replies

0Thumbs UpThumbs Down0 brian 8 minutes ago Report Abuse a tip for those disabled users claiming disabled living allowance and health related benefits, dont publish pics of your holidays showing you diving off the top board or hitting the ski slopes, it may affect your claims Reply

20Thumbs UpThumbs Down15 Alan 5 hours ago Report Abuse

No employer should be able to dismiss a person for such trivial nonsense. Employers are becoming more and more intrusive, it's a disgrace. Mind your own business you paranoid, greedy, bullying b*tards 6 Replies

12Thumbs UpThumbs Down0 Trevor 3 hours ago Report Abuse R.I.P freedom of speech, more so R.I.P privacy, twas nice knowing ya 3 Replies

0Thumbs UpThumbs Down0 Dee 7 minutes ago Report Abuse Yes. You should have respect for those that pay your wages. Reply

112Thumbs UpThumbs Down2 Matt 6 hours ago Report Abuse Has nobody heard of "privacy settings"? It's not rocket science. 8 Replies

155Thumbs UpThumbs Down5 PAUL 6 hours ago Report Abuse Crisps and Apples never go together. 7 Replies

172Thumbs UpThumbs Down6 JOHN 100 2 days ago Report Abuse Wish I had a job to get sacked from here 13 Replies

 15Thumbs UpThumbs Down0 Bob 4 hours ago Report Abuse I would like to know why facebook appears on my Skype screen and there is no means of removing it. Is this not an infringement under British law as I did not give my permission for it to be there. 2 Replies

50Thumbs UpThumbs Down3 mark 5 hours ago Report Abuse er......dont add burglars as friends? 6 Replies

77Thumbs UpThumbs Down6 mattlad 5 hours ago Report Abuse Want to catch up with your mates? go to the pub and have a chat over a pint.......... 8 Replies

90Thumbs UpThumbs Down7 Aquinas Yesterday Report Abuse Simply expressing any personal opinion about anything will get you sacked. Even refusing to express an opinion will get you sacked. I think George Orwell wrote something about it once. 7 Replies

75Thumbs UpThumbs Down6 Bear 6 hours ago Report Abuse Why does anyone feel the need to publish their thoughts and deeds publicly? It seems to me that good friends, who you can chat to in a social environment, would be a

better option. ALSO, who cares what a person does or thinks on Twitter also ? 6 Replies

47Thumbs UpThumbs Down3 Bobcat 6 hours ago Report Abuse SIMPLE...........DON'T USE FACEBOOK! 3 Replies

34Thumbs UpThumbs Down2 sunnyside 5 hours ago Report Abuse It does seem a bit over the top, and now the story is out, it does not improve my impression of apple, we all get fed up with our employers from time to time. 3 Replies

16Thumbs UpThumbs Down1 WESLEY 3 hours ago Report Abuse I was called into my boss' office over a non specific 'grumble' status that he had printed off. My privacy settings were such that he had no access as we weren't friends so a mutual friend whom remains unknown must've dobbed me in. Result? I deleted my profile and guess what? Now I have a life! A... More 3 Replies

8Thumbs UpThumbs Down0 Len G 5 hours ago Report Abuse All professionals in our nhs, are adviced about using or trusting any of facebook, as nothing is secure. 1 Reply

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wargravelad 4 hours ago Report Abuse I can't see the point of facebook at all.