ACA Home Forums Myspace/Facebook issues

I already have had to consider putting in our staff manual some policies regarding staff posting information about our camp in their myspace/facebook accounts.
-Now- I'm looking for feedback on the ethical and/or legal issues regarding an employer viewing a potential applicant's myspace/or facebook account. If they are posting personal information on a public domain, is it allowable to use this information when making hiring decisions? I'm curious....

Say whatttt?

I think Facebook and Myspace are great ways to keep in touch with former camp friends.

Staff should be allowed to have those profiles as long as they're not "bad" [i.e. posting pics of getting drunk is bad]

Our camp has a clear policy on it. We have certain things that we are not allowed to post and/or discuss.

We are not allowed to post and/or discuss:
1. Where camp is located
2. Pictures of the campers
3. Vulgar Rants/threats/etc. about camp
4. Details about campers, such as names, ages, locations, and anything else
Variety of other things that make sense...

Pictures getting drunk, etc. aren't "banned", per say, but most of us would get into a lot of trouble for it either for the next year's employment, etc.

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About your "delimina" about looking at myspace/facebook profiles for hiring choices. It might be very difficult to look at their profiles to begin with. Most of them would be blocked for you to see. I do know that some colleges might look at facebook and myspace profiles to find information about their candiates.

As an employeer, I understand how it looks and seems as a good option, because you get to know the private side of your candiate and what they don't or can't include on the application. You can understand them more. You also can see if they have any bad things posted on their profile or use foul language everywhere.

However, as an employee, it leaves a bad taste just thinking about it. It is public domain and people do post it, and they post it. People need to make sure to make good decisions of what to post on the internet. Everyone can see it. However, I hope that my employeer trusts me and values me more than to double check my life on profiles. That is just my view on it. My employeer actually as a myspace/facebook account and almost all the people are friends with her on it. So, she can see our pictures, posts, etc. However, she doesn't really use it, so it is not really prevelent.

Overall, I think it is a very important thing to discuss with new staff about things to post and not to post about camp, etc. However, at the end of the summer, as long as it is not about camp, etc, I think it is up to the counselors.. Just my two cence.

Many camps, colleges, and company's use this information in hiring. Though what you don't want to do is misrepresent your self. Don't lie to get access to there page though if it?s public I think it should be considered just like a news article or a google search.

Parents today?s are going to look up there campers councilor online to find out more about them. So I think its important to make it clear to staff that there online appearances will affect hiring.

I have been using Myspace and Facebook in my hiring process for a few years now and find it very useful.
We have a policy for both staff and campers (that I'd be happy to share) but we also run training sessions to help them understand the risks of sharing too much information on social networking websites and the reason we have a policy for it. I think it is important for me to teach our kids and staff how to be safe online.

At our camp, there is a strict policy that you are not allowed to tell a camper or parent your real name, email, address, etc. Even on the last day, we are not allowed to tell them. Addiitonally, we are not allowed to keep in contact with them beyond camp. They can send something to the camp, but we are not allowed to give out email addresses, etc.

Just out of curosity, how do you manage to use facebook/myspace for hiring. I know facebook you can't really see someone's profile unless you are in their network, and sometimes to see their profile, you have to be their friend.

I completely agree that people need to be conscience of what is on the internet, especially waht they post. Inappropraite pictures can haunt someone for a long time, as well as inappropratie language, etc.

Both during the hiring process and the during the summer, it is made clear to potential staff and those eventually hired that we will be looking into their facebook and myspace and we use this information when making hiring decisions. These public areanas are just that - public!

During the year we monitor the site and what people post during this time can effect whether they would be hired back. We work with staff and help them along the way... which in turns leads into staff helping campers. We have had staff connect with campers over inappropriate things the campers have listed. Camp is about development and we want to use online presence as an extension of the camp experience.

I thought that you can only access peoples facebook sites if you are in their network (is only Cardiff University students can see mine) unless you ask to be added as a friend so therefore you wouldn't be able to use this to look at.
Also surely what people do outside camp is their own business. It is how they behave at camp and around the campers that matters. So they may get drunk occasionally and the incriminating photos put on their sites but that has no bearing on whether not this affects their ability to work at camp.
I know someone that is a real goth with loads of tattoos and piercings and many people would cross the street if they saw her coming but she is also the most fantastic latin dancer and when she is in her dress and out on the floor she is a totally different person.
I would only consider using it against someone if they did something as bad as openly discussing the fact that they deal drugs or have thoughts that they shouldn't about young children- really bad stuff.

I am strictly a staff member not a member of camp administration. I feel that employers should be able to use the information on facebook and myspace. Potential candidates chose to put the information on their profile. That is how they choose to represnt themselves to their peers and the public. Its fair game.
I am a Resident Assistant in the Dorms at my university and while they don't use the information in hiring if they become aware of contract violations through myspace or facebook our contact can be terminated.
As for camp, my boss asks to see any pictures taken from the summer at camp if we plan to post them. They cannot contain anything innappropriate(drinking at camp, misuse of property, etc.). We are only allowed to tell campers our first name on the last day of the session. Campers can send us mail at camp but apart from that we are not allowed to keep relationships and friendships with campers outside of camp.
I personally feel that employers should take advantage of myspace and facebook. Perhaps i hold this belief because I know my profiles are appropriate and use them to stay in contact with co-workers and my bosses from school and camp.

Hi Nadine,
I am just gathering information and working on creating a policy and training for our staff this summer...would you mind sharing yours with me? I would love to see one that has worked and have something to go off! Thanks so much!
-Kayla

our assistant director and intern "friend" everybody they interview on facebook because sometimes it can tell you a lot about the person. It is perfectly ethical. People need to be smart about what they put on those sites. You don't want to hire someone who will be friends with campers that can see objectionable content on your staffs profile.

RE: "If they are posting personal information on a public domain, is it allowable to use this information when making hiring decisions? I'm curious...."

While FB can show employers a lot of information that would be deemed okay to withhold a job offer, FB also provides information that is protected against discrimination (sexual orientation, age, race, creed, marital status, disability, etc.).

Status Example A: "I dropped my 6 month old off at baby daddy's apartment. Too bad he won't marry me" You have read the status that she is an unwed mother. If you do not hire her because she is an unwed mother, you have just discriminated, which is illegal.

Status Example B: "I'm still so drunk from staying up all night drinking and I have to work in an hour." It would be okay not to offer this person employment.

The bottom line is make sure that if you are viewing their FB, and you decide not to hire them, make sure it is not for discrimatory reasons.

This is a very vauge sampling. Review your state employment laws as well as national.

Good luck!

I voluntered at a summer camp for adults with physcial disabilities, and they had no policies on social media-- we also had some volunteers that were 16-17 year old high school students who volunteer there as well as volunteers who are as old as mid-60's. I never friended anyone I knew who were under the age of 18.

Most youth camps I worked at had a policy of not adding current campers on FB and you can not mention campers names on FB or tag current campers-- the same applied to CIT's. The execption was if you and the camper have a relationship outside of camp-- ie the camper is an immediate family member like brother, sister, cousin, and the like, but the Camp Director had to be made aware of this in advance.

If a camper becomes a staff member in a future year, most camps allowed you to friend them as long as you and the former camper- turned staff worked togeter.

Do any of you allow staff members to friend campers once they turn 18?