Associated Press and Facebook
June 22, 2009
Ryan Tate’s “AP Tells Reporters to Muzzle Facebook Friends” may be an indication that the Bozeman Syndrome is spreading. Bozeman, as you may recall wanted job applicants to provide user names and passwords for social networking site. I have a short item about this that will run in the future. Bozeman’s officials changed their minds, but the idea, in my opinion, may have meme power. (For information on the Bozeman request KTVQ, a Montana news outlet, offered up “Bozeman City Job Requirement Raises Privacy Concerns”.)
Mr. Tate’s story is not directly connected with Montana. But I perceive thin shoots of reaching toward the idea that an employee may not have tight control over social network memberships or participation. Mr. Tate wrote:
Someone sent us the Associated Press‘ guidelines for staff social networking and, in keeping with company tradition, they’re on the paranoid side. You should probably read them, since basically everyone in the world must now follow them. The AP’s Facebook and Twitter policies are less draconian than, say, Bloomberg’s, but that’s not saying much. They do sound, on the whole, reasonable, until you stop and ponder a few of the specifics.
My hunch is that this idea will find a quick uptake because some senior managers see social networking participation as falling within their span of interest. One of the goslings manages my social network participation, and I wonder if such control is possible. I delegate it, and I can think of several work arounds. When I squeeze a tube of super glue too firmly, the substance gets out of the tube. The metaphor may apply to social network controls.
The information can be “out there” and real time search tools allows me to find it. What’s missing is the “real” name of the person or software pumping out the content. So, what’s more important: finding the person who sent out the info or the info itself? Maybe both. Will stopping one ensure stopping the other?
Stephen Arnold, June 22, 2009
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