1. Do you agree that if you post something online it is open for the world to see? Yes, I agree that if you post something online it is open for the world to see. If you would not want your employer, family members, friends, etc. to see it then it should not be posted. According to an article entitled “What NOT To Post On Facebook,” Facebook’s mission is to make the world more open and connected. People should realize that there are limits to what should and should not be posted on the internet. People enjoy sharing photos and updating their statuses however there are some pieces of information that should not be shared. Once a picture, comment, etc. is posted to the internet it will be there forever. Some people believe that if they delete their accounts, photos, etc. that it will just go away. That is not the case; if a piece of information is deleted, it may not be visible anymore but it will always be retrievable if needed. In other words, it is there forever, no matter what you do. 2. What do you consider is inappropriate material that you should never post to the web? Inappropriate information that should never be posted to the web include naughty pictures, racial or bias comments that may cause someone to hurt you or themselves, personal information, and even negative comments about one’s job. What would people think about you if they saw you showing off your new tattoo that is located on a private area of your body? One picture can determine your future; employers look at these types of things and if they see dramatic exposures you will be more than likely denied for the job. As for comments, watch what you say. You have to understand that you are not the only one reading what you post. Some people get offended and they may decide to put themselves in danger due to a single post. Personal information is what most people struggle with the most. Personal information include things such as your address, location, age, birthday, etc. these are factors that could potentially put you in danger. These are the types of things perpetrators look for. Last but certainly not least, never post information about your boss, coworkers, or anyone in your work life. Your comments can be found and that can put your job on the line. 3. What can you do to remove inappropriate material posted to the web by a friend that identifies you? If you are able to remove the posting yourself then by all means please do so. However, in some situations that is an impossible task. For example, if a friend posts something on their Facebook page you will only be able to view the posting. The only person that has the capability of removing the post is the owner of the page. If this happens simply ask the person who did the posting to take it off. Explain to them how the post makes you feel and in some cases how the post may put you in some type of potential harm. 4. How do efficiency and effectiveness enter into this scenario? Efficiency and Effectiveness enter into this scenario in being that the person who is asking for the post to be removed should act as efficient as he/she can. What this means is in a timely manner. If the post is posted on Monday do not wait until three months later to ask for the post to be removed. On the other hand, the way that the person approaches the individual that did the posting should be in an effective manner. If he/she had an attitude and was using profanity and such, the person who made the post may become upset therefore he/she will not remove the post. These are just my examples that fit the scenario I provided in question 3 above; there are others. 5. Was MySpace the most efficient and effective way for the two employees to communicate? No, MySpace was not the most efficient and effective way for the two employees to communicate. Even though they created a private, password-protected account, it was still hacked into and the information that had been posted was immediately reported; leaving room for a lawsuit to occur. All of this could have been avoided if the two employees would have found a more efficient and effective way of communicating. 6. What is the potential argument each of these sides might use in order to win the lawsuit? In recent studies, most employees who are caught for posting information in regards to their workplace use “invasion of privacy” as their number one argument. The stored communications act prohibits unauthorized access to stored electronic communications, giving a private cause of action for unauthorized access to stored data found on a computer's hard drive or e-mail servers; employees may bring this up if their employer should not have had access to the post in the first place. Another technique employers may use is that they are the victim of “unfair treatment.” The supervisor may have overheard others talking about particular employees that seem to have posted something and he/she wanted to find out for themselves. In other words, it was not random and it did not apply to all employees in the organization. As for the employers, there arguments are focused around why the employee is no longer a good look for the company. They use the posts as a sign of the employee no longer wanting to be a part of the company. Employers also argue that the particular employee who made the posting has now caused damage to the organizations reputation. This can affect the organization as a whole. The customers and suppliers may not want to ever do business with this organization ever again.