This week, it’s all about Facebook again. Except for the news about the Yahoo hack, you’ll be hard pressed to find a technological tale that doesn’t involve the social media giant. So here it is: the good, the bad, and the ugly of Facebook, all in one convenient location.
The good: the site continues to create useful apps. There is an anti-bullying tool tailored to help teens report harassing behavior, a price alert app that notifies you when items you Like go on sale, and a plan to launch a job posting board. With apps like these, who says time on Facebook is unproductive?
The bad: a yoga instructor teaching a class at Facebook was fired for glaring at a Facebook employee who was texting in the middle of the yoga session. The instructor wanted to enforce a no-cellphone policy, but found out the hard way that the freedom to text is an inalienable right for Facebook employees.
And the ugly: workers continue to post inappropriate things on their Facebook pages. The latest examples of posts that can get you into trouble at work include pictures simulating a prison rape and comments likening one of your students to an orangutan.
Check out the links below for these and other dos and don’ts of Facebook and technology in general.
Technology and the Workplace
- Yoga Teacher Fired for Banning Cellphones in Class (ABC) (San Francisco Chronicle)
- Brooklyn ADA Faces Internal Investigation for Old Facebook Photos (Gothamist)
- Teacher Could Lose License for Comparing Student to Orangutan on Facebook (MSNBC)
- PA to Require Public-Works Contractors and Subcontractors to Use E-Verify (Employer Handbook)
- Facebook to Launch Job Posting Board (WSJ) (CNN)
- Want a Job? Check the Spelling on Your Facebook Profile (LA Times) (MSNBC)
Technology and the Law
- Man Arrested for Violating a No Contact Order After He Commented on His Own Facebook Photo (Eastern Iowa News Now)
- Congressional Inquiry Reveals “Explosion in Cellphone Surveillance” (ABA Journal)
- Yes, the Cops Can Text You From Your Drug Dealer’s iPhone to Bust You (Forbes)
- Federal Cameras Are Snapping Time-Stamped Pictures of License Plates in Four Border States (ABA Journal)
- Yahoo Confirms 400,000 Accounts Hacked, Some Passwords Stolen (CBS)
There’s an App for That
- TheFind Introduces Price Alerts Facebook App (LA Times)
- eHarmony App Helps You Lie to Your Date (MSNBC)
- NBC Launches Olympics Live-Stream App for Tablets and Phones (CNN)
- Smartphone Displays May Aid Eye Diagnoses (MSNBC)
- Facebook Adds New Anti-Bullying Tools (CNN)
- Facebook Groups Now Show You Who Saw Your Posts, Who Didn’t (CNET)