Showing posts with label SOCIAL NETWORKS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SOCIAL NETWORKS. Show all posts
9 March 2017
3 March 2014
Predators on Social Networks. Sexual Predators and Child Molesters Find Easy Prey
Social networking is all the rage. Various web sites have sprung up for the sole purpose
of providing a place for users to express themselves,
share with like-minded individuals, discover new things, and communicate with
others. Even I have a Myspace profile and a LinkedIn profile.
Monitor. If you want additional peace of mind, or you
don't fully trust that your children will stay within the guidelines you have
laid out, install some monitoring software to watch their online behavior.
Using a product like eBlaster from SpectorSoft, you can monitor and record all
activity on a given computer and keep an eye on your children.
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditoria2/a/socialpredators.htm
FIND WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS IN THE TEXT THAT MEAN:
The concept of social
networking has also been extended to other areas. For example, Youtube (also
picked up by Google), provides users with the ability to express their
creativity, network, rate their favorite video clips, etc. Some sites like
Flickr, DropShots, or PhotoBucket provide users with the ability to post and
share photos and family videos.
The bottom
line is that social networking is hugely popular and
it is big business. Unfortunately, child molesters, sexual
predators, and scam artists have
discovered that these sites can also be exploited to find victims.
There have
been numerous instances of sexual predators and child molesters posing as
children to network with young victims on MySpace.com. MySpace was also
recently discovered to be compromised by attackers spreading malware on
exploited profile sites. MySpace has taken steps and implemented security
measures to minimize this problem, but users should still be cautious and
aware.
While not
directly related to a social network, Craigslist, the popular regional
classified listings site, was recently used by a predator to lure a victim to
her death. After listing a job opening for a babysitter / nanny, and arranging
a meeting with the potential nanny, the killer then murdered the prospective
nanny.
Photo sharing
sites are used by thousands of families to post and share family photos. It is
possible to restrict access and only let users you identify view the pictures,
but many users are proud of their kids and their photographic skills and allow
the general public to view the photos as well. Child molesters and sexual deviants can search
through these sites and bookmark their favorite photos of young boys and
girls.
Follow these steps to use social networking sites responsibly and avoid
becoming a victim:
Be Skeptical. At least be cautious. The point of social
networking is to find people who share your interests and establish a network
of friends, but don't let
down your defenses too easily. Just
because someone claims to like the same music as you, or share a passion for
scrapbooking, doesn't mean it is true. These new "friends" are
virtual and faceless and you can't completely trust that they are what they say
they are.
Be Diligent. Knowing that the potential exists for scam
artists or sexual predators to be lurking about, keep an eye on your profile and be diligent about who you allow to connect
with your profile. For photo sharing sites like Flickr, check out the users who
are marking your photos as their Favorites. If some stranger is marking all of
the pictures of your 7-year old son as their Favorites, it seems a little creepy and may be
cause for concern.
Report Suspicious Behavior. If you have reason to believe that someone is a sexual
predator or scam artist, report it to the site. If you look at the profile of
the user marking your son's photos as their Favorites, you might find that they
have marked hundreds of other young boy's photos as their Favorites. Flickr, and
other such sites, should take action against this sort of suspicious
behavior.
Communicate. Parents who have children that surf the Web and frequent these social networking sites should
communicate with their children. Make sure your children are aware of the
threat, and that they are educated about how to use the Web safely. Make sure
that they understand the risks and that they know they can talk with you about suspicious or malicious activity they encounter.
http://netsecurity.about.com/od/newsandeditoria2/a/socialpredators.htm
FIND WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS IN THE TEXT THAT MEAN:
- es el último grito / es muy popular
- con el único propósito
- lo esencial / el punto fundamental es
- pederasta
- depredador sexual, pedófilo
- estafador
- hacerse pasar por
- marcar como favorito
- pervertidos, depravados sexuales
- no bajes tus defensas/ la guardia
- estar al acecho
- vigilar
- asqueroso, repulsivo
- actividad maliciosa o sospechosa
- tranquilidad
Misuse of Girls’ Pictures On Social Networking Websites
Girls are uploading their pictures on social networking websites like Facebook, Orkut, etc, to be accessed by everyone. What is happening is that many people are taking those pictures and misusing them by creating fake profiles to defame the girls. On some, inappropriate messages about the girl are written. On others, the picture is altered with a nude body of someone else added to the face of the girl.
Many webmasters of adult websites use girls’ pictures from social networking websites to promote their business, with things like, “these girls are available.” In reality, those girls don’t even know that their picture is on a website of such a nature. Pimps are also hovering on social networking websites, trying to find pictures of good looking girls for their business. Many prostitutes also use those pictures for personal gain.
Many girls’ cell phone numbers are put on websites after being taken without their consent. Some websites have pictures along with the cell numbers. In reality, those pictures do not belong to the person whose cell phone number has been posted. The pictures have been taken from social networking websites.
Below is some basic common sense that girls should follow.
- Never upload your picture on social networking websites. If you have to use a picture, use a non-animate one.
- If you have to share your picture with a relative, send it through e-mail.
- If you are in an internet cafe, please make sure you are logged out.
- Please use features such as ‘Ignore User’ and ‘Report Abuse’ if you ever get unwanted invites or messages.
According to police Sub Inspector Ravindra Chavan, “Orkut users should not put up their photographs on the site. They should not reveal personal information in their profile. Also, no cell phone numbers or identity should be mentioned in the scrap book, as it is open to all.”
Below are some real life stories of girls who went through a lot of misery because of photo tampering and fake profiles.
- The father of a South Delhi school girl suffered from the fake profile of his daughter posted on Orkut that not only described the teenager as a ’sex teacher’, but also contained obscene photographs and her contact details. The teenager’s family had received the first call where the caller wanted to speak to the girl. Similar calls poured in later, the police said, adding all the callers referred to Orkut. Father of the girl lodged a complaint with the Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police’s Economic Offences after his family started receiving calls following the appearance of the fake profile.
- An air-hostess had moved a court here alleging that someone has opened an account in her name on Orkut wherein she is being described as a “sex struck woman”. The family had a harrowing time when two strangers knocked at their door a fortnight ago and told them the girl had invited them for sex, they added. Police said a case has been registered and investigations were on. The air-hostess claimed that act has lowered her reputation in the eyes of her family members and neighbors. She also said that she had written to the national commission of the women ministry against her criminal defamation, but no actions have been taken so far.
- It was one of those normal evenings when *****, a software engineer in Chennai, logged on to Orkut to unwind from work and catch up with friends. But one and a half minutes later, the evening turned shocking and miserable for her. What she saw was a cheeky scrap and forward to a profile that had her semi-nude photo in another girl’s profile, tagged as her sister who flagged joint hints of intimate advances and indecent invites. Her photo had been brazenly and easily tampered with. After many weeks of tension and repeated requests to Orkut, the ID was removed. She vowed never to be vulnerable again.
http://www.chowrangi.com/misuse-of-girls-pictures-on-social-networking-websites.html
FIND EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE FOLLOWING:
FIND EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE FOLLOWING:
- hacer un mal uso, difamar
- disponible
- chulo, proxeneta
- merodear, rondar
- beneficio personal
- cerrar sesión
- álbum
- pasarlo fatal
- manipulación de fotos
- presentar una queja/ reclamación
- alegar
- acceder a
- desconectar del trabajo
- ponerse al día con los amigos
- descarado
- etiquetar
- descaradamente
Girls’ Cell Phone Numbers on Social Networking Websites
Girls are uploading their pictures and many leave their cell phone numbers and other personal information on social networking websites like Facebook, Twitter, Orkut etc, to be accessed by everyone.
It is dangerous to leave personal pictures on social networking websites, or anywhere for that matter, because they can be misused if they fall into wrong hands. What is equally condemnable is girls leaving their personal information, including their cell phone number, on social networking websites.
One reason why girls face harassment on cell phones is because they take little precaution, if any, to make sure that their number is not available to strangers. Also, why do girls (and boys) need a cell phone in the first place? For idle gossip. Research, although questionable, has linked excessive cell phone use to brain cancer.
There are groups on social networking websites which invite girls to join and share their personal information, especially their cell phone number. Others ask for friendship. Girls are naive and trusting by nature. They start a friendship with anyone who may appear to be nice and sweet, and the next thing they know, they are headed for disaster.
In all fairness, some girls actually want this so called friendship to get boys to pay their cell phone bills. Other girls want to have a good time. This is a major problem. These so called friendships end up nowhere. Not one has ended in marriage. Girls should avoid visiting such websites and groups which needlessly ask for personal information.
Some people have made videos on YouTube with dirty music playing in the background with pictures of girls which looked like they were taken from Facebook. These girls are unaware. Also, anyone’s face can be added to anyone’s body to create a nude picture. Girls should remove their pictures and personal information from social networking websites.
2 February 2014
Facebook has a negative impact on the concentration of students
A recent study in one school in Britain has shown that Facebook has very negative impact on the performance of students in school. What is all about?
The school has conducted research and testing to determine whether social networks, and facebook as the most popular among them, affect in any way the performance of students. The testing was done so that for a period of three months, the first two months access to facebook was denied and the third month access to facebook was allowed. The results showed that a sample of three months was just enough to make a conclusion. In the third month, during the period of facebook usage, it was noticed slight deterioration of grades, but what is even more important is lack of concentration and poor knowledge acceptance. In order to test the concentration level and the quality of teaching, at the last week, lesson was carried out to make summary of what was learned in every subject. In that summary students have participated and it turned out that the results were much worse in the third month. This test has shown that facebook and other social networks have the most negative influence on quality of education.
The problem does not occur only in case when students were actually logged on to facebook and didn’t pay attention to what teacher says. The problem is in the fact that “current events” on the facebook distract them also in the time when they are not connected to it. Social networks are used by teenagers as a way to call the meeting with some person, to declare love and so on which in aspect of socialization is much easier to do than in actual world! In those situations, waiting for a response creates the need for constantly visiting facebook.
All this mentioned, and many other elements are the reason why the results of the test showed that the use of social networks in school has a negative impact on grades, monitoring of teaching and the concentration of students!
http://worldoffacebook.wordpress.com/2010/11/08/hello-world/
Should employers ban the use of social networking sites at work?
FOR
· Wastes Employer's Money Using social networking sites while not on break at work wastes productivity on the boss's dime. Employers should already have Internet/phone usage rules in place before employees work there so they know what to expect. In general, using the Internet or texting while on the clock is a no-no, so use common sense while on the clock!
· No time wasting at work I think they should. Most companies already have it in their policies that Internet is not supposed to be used for personal purposes during work time. That includes social networking sites, by definition. Some companies use software to track how employees use the Internet, too. They understand that some folks would try to violate the rules.
· Social networking can become a distraction In some cases, yes, employers may want to band the use of social networking on their work computers. If it has become a distraction or a hindrance to accomplishing the daily task that an employee must complete than it is cost the employer money. It can also cause a rift in employee's working relationship with each other if things are posted about one another.
· Yes, it is a distraction. Employers should be perfectly entitled to ban the use of social networking sites at work; it is not only a distraction, but the employers are not paying them to sit their chatting and playing games they are paid to work. Employees should not be on those sites even if it is allowed at work.
· Yes, employees waste time on them. Yes, employers should ban the use of social networking sites at work, because employees waste a great deal of time on them. Although employees like them, they are a great way to waste time and to be distracted. Employees get more done if they are able to concentrate on their work without distractions from social media.
AGAINST
· Employers should not ban the use of social networking sites at work. The use of social networking sites should be left up to the account holder. If the use of these sites start to get in the way of the work that should be done then I think the employer has the right to ask the employee to stop using it.
· No they should not ban it. There should be no issues between work and social networking sites at work as long as it is done in an employee’s own time such as a break. Employees have the right to post what they want to on their pages as it is their right, and employers should not try to block that.
· Communication -- whether it's internal or external -- is key to business success. One of the fastest means of communication today is social networking. In fact, it's just about the most immediate form of communication you can find. Your employees may be communicating with the outside world, but many of those people on the outside are consumers and possible clients.
· Advertising . Dare I say "free advertising"? I dare and I do. Social networking brings to businesses a boon of free advertising. You can't afford not to hop onto this bandwagon. And getting on board early shows the public that you are an agile, aware company. Allowing your employees to take advantage of social networking also shows you care about them. In this society, caring goes a long way. All of that makes for some seriously powerful advertising.
· Social networking facilitates collaboration internally, but it also lets users collaborate with the entire world. I have done this countless times. When I've been stuck on an idea, I call out to my followers on Twitter or Facebook to get a deluge of answers. It's free and it's fast.
· Your company and its employees need to know how to use social networking effectively. Why? Because our society is on a collision course with an even further embedding of social media into our lives. You want your company and your employees at the forefront of that trend. At some point, your employees may have to use social networking to market and sell your product. Allowing them to use it on a daily basis now will ensure that they're social media savvy, without the need for training.
· The world wants transparency. We've seen it from every level of business and government. Allowing your employees to participate in social networking illustrates to your employees' social circle that you mean business when it comes to employee retention and happiness. Today's consumers and society eat that up. But if they see a company deliberately squelching the employee voice and hiding behind the walls of security and information blocking, there will be a backlash. Transparency can go a long way toward boosting customer loyalty as well as your customers' faith in you as a business within the community.
· You want your company to network. You want your employees to network. You want your employees to know what other companies are doing and to be in touch with the heartbeat of your market. What better way to accomplish this than with social networking? Yes, they can network with email, but not on as grand a scale.
Should companies block social networking sites?
Internet controls and filters in the workplace are nothing new. Nearly one in four businesses block employee access to social networking web sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Just a few years ago, the idea of an online social network was revolutionary. With the number of Americans using social networking sites tripling in recent years, use of such sites has grown during work hours. But social networks pose an interesting case: their potential for professional as well as personal networking, not to mention the well-publicized use of Twitter for marketing and customer service. There's also the fact that they've become so ingrained in culture and communication that some companies choosing to block them can hurt their companies chances of success rather than help.
Did you know that over half of U.S. workplaces block access to social-networking sites? New survey results indicate 54% block social networks "completely," while another 19% only permit it "for business purposes." Some companies, additionally, may have different standards set for different degrees of employees--the guy running the company Twitter account and the human resources department may have extra privileges, for example. Is social networking a productivity killer or is this the perfect opportunity to boost sales in the new era? 8% of companies actually encourage employees to use social networking sites, and 10% say they are invaluable marketing, networking and sales tools. Banning use of sites could also make it hard to recruit young employees.
I think part of the desire to block is fear of the unknown. When rock and roll first hit the scene, people around the world were horrified and wanted this new type of music banned. I believe as more and more companies become comfortable with social networking sites, they will less stress about the use. Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication to your colleagues, customers and more. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your potential client could discuss a transaction by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. The idea of socializing with millions of people, in just one click, is exciting to the world of business.
All in all social networking is here to stay, whether you are a fan of the concept to connecting with millions of people in a tweet or status, or whether you feel it is a distraction from your everyday duties it is a the future of business.
https://www.campaignercrm.com/en/community/blog/crm/post/should-companies-block-social-networking-sites/
7 July 2012
CYBER SPIES: Why one tweeet could cost you a job
This is the link to the article where your last selectividad exam was taken from. As you will see, they summarised the following article. (your selectividad text in bold)
The internet has brought about a head-on collision between our personal and professional lives. A neatly presented online CV outlining a calm approach to high-pressure situations might stand in stark contrast to a Flickr album featuring pictures of that person screaming at a police cordon during a protest march. A reputation for high-standards of written communication might be compromised by a sequence of misspelled, expletive-filled rants on Facebook.
Wary of being brought into disrepute by the online misdemeanours of its employees, many companies implement social media policies that punish transgressors with disciplinary action; indeed, it's reported that 8 per cent of companies have dismissed people for inappropriate online behaviour. But far less is heard about those whose applications for new jobs fail because of things they've left visibly strewn around the internet.
An American firm by the name of Social Intelligence is gaining a high profile in the USA following the launch of its web-based pre-employment screening service, and the subsequent green light given by an initially suspicious Federal Trade Commission. But the evidence suggests that the practice of digging dirt on the internet has quietly become endemic among employers; you might think that you're being judged on the information you send them, but it might be the things you choose not to reveal that end up denying you the post. And you may never find out the real reason.
Social Intelligence has stated that its activities have very precise boundaries. For each applicant it investigates, a 'deep trawl' is done through the last seven years of blog comments, forum contributions and even classified ads that might have been posted, along with any visible social media content. From that data, a dossier is compiled of specific material that could be seen as dishonourable – eg, examples of racist language, mentions of drug-taking, photos of a sexually explicit nature, or references to weapon usage or other violence.
Those who've failed the Social Intelligence test include one person who made an online enquiry about a possible source of the pain reliever Oxycontin; past dossiers have also included details of membership of borderline-racist Facebook groups such as 'This is America – I shouldn't have to press 1 for English'.
We can't pretend that background checks are a startling innovation. Recruitment and headhunting services base their decisions on more than just the positive information they're initially handed; referees might be asked for personal opinions, professional insights and any other potential leads that would help to build up a better picture of a candidate. Indeed, you could say that old-school recruitment processes such as employee referral schemes and family business connections also operate pre-employment filters, based on the potential candidate's personal link to the company in question.
But employers are increasingly aware of and keen to use the huge informational resource that social media serves up on a plate; all kind of information is in the public domain, and incredibly easy to find – particularly if the applicant has an unusual name. As the chief executive of Social Intelligence has said, with something of a corporate shrug, "All we assemble is what's publicly available on the internet today". Nothing underhand going on here, they say; the company believes that the information is out there to be evaluated.
Of course, the vast majority of people haven't uploaded pictures and text to establish a corpus of data that could be used to microscopically analyse their attitudes towards everything from immigration to giving money to charity; most people have done it because they've been encouraged to do so by online companies dangling the carrot of friendship. Finding people who share your interests, rather than putting off prospective employers who don't. But both are undoubtedly happening.
"This probably started around four years ago," says Chris Purdy, director of Greenfield, a specialist recruitment business based in Luxembourg. "The appearance of networks such as LinkedIn and Xing changed the methodology of how we headhunt; if we wanted a quick reference on a name we heard about, that became the first place to go. But we know that HR departments don't stop at LinkedIn."
One might wonder what level of unacceptable behaviour would cause those departments to rule someone out of the running, but it's clear that the more senior the role, the more scrutiny applicants will be subjected to. "Your online reputation is part of your professional reputation," says Purdy. "If, say, a man is going for a private banking post that puts him in charge of €200m portfolios, pictures of him wearing a thong at a stag do aren't going to go down well."
Few users of social media would emerge from close analysis without some kind of stain on their character. Swearing, sarcasm and stupidity are rampant; we're fallible human beings, after all, and these services are designed to capture every facet of our personality. With Social Intelligence trawling back over seven years of material, growing older and wiser doesn't count for a great deal, either; past indiscretions will come back to haunt us. Mat Honan, an employee of the gadget-guide website Gizmodo, subjected himself to a Social Intelligence check which he failed, thanks to passing references to cocaine and ketamine that he'd made on his blog. But was he being judged unfairly? After all, someone following a spoof BNP Twitter account that satirises racist attitudes could mistakenly be labelled a racist themselves, and a debauched post-party photo might have someone mistakenly tagged as being in it when they aren't. This isn't an exact science; your online bill of health is down to the skill and judgement of whoever's tasked with performing the diagnosis.
According to Angie Youels, who performs HR-related services for small start-up companies, the interest in digging for a bit of colour on a candidate is down to the increasingly unhelpful information that's made available via traditional sources. "Part of the reason this is happening, in my view, is because references are so uninformative. Candidates know that they can find out what's been said about them, so rather than give a reference, they tend to just give dates of employment. In the past they'd have given fuller details."
Bearing this in mind, the airbrushed, one-dimensional and characterless profiles presented on sites like LinkedIn almost feel like an invitation for more invasive, exploratory digging. But there's a danger in digging too far. Companies will become aware of facts that they're legally not allowed to ask as part of the normal screening process. Details of age, ethnicity or political views will inevitably surface – as might, say, a female candidate's pregnancy. Once this information is known, it can't be somehow forgotten. Social Intelligence is predictably keen to highlight the fact that its service keeps such information at arm's length from the companies themselves; Mat Honan's dossier, for example, had his face blacked out throughout so as not to reveal his race, while still detailing his past encounters with drugs.
"I think it would be terribly wrong for someone to be influenced by the fact that a candidate held, say, different political views to theirs," says Youels, "but that's the danger – that people will be rejected because of their stance on this or that." The answer, according to Alexandra Arnott, a director at Octopus, an IT recruitment specialist, is honesty and diligence. "We may become aware of private information or opinions of candidates that are not relevant to the role or recruitment process we're following," she says. "So we must adhere to a strict ethical code and use our judgement and experience to ensure that there is no discrimination."
The process of choosing someone to work for you has always and will always be based upon judgements. Someone might miss out because of a covering letter written in a state of anxiety, or a job interview performance that was less than sparkling because they were feeling unwell. Gut instinct comes into play, and it can't always be quantified. If you have two CVs for a post, one listing "eating granola and doing yoga" as an interest, and the other mentioning membership of Camra, that information will register; a job that involves lots of post-work socialising might suit the beer-drinker better – but the granola fan might be angry that they lost out on that basis. Yet that's life; workplaces are full of people who don't fit in perfectly with their colleagues, and it's not unreasonable to suggest that social media searches could give employers a better idea of how that person might slot in.
As Chris Purdy says, it's human nature to be drawn to people with similar views as your own. "Someone with liberal views isn't going to want to take on someone with strong right-wing views – or vice versa," he says. "Fortunately, most of us don't put objectionable stuff out there. I don't think it's as big an issue as it's made out to be."
So are the gasps of horror in the US surrounding Social Intelligence merely paranoia? And is this just another example of us feeling adrift in the sea of confusion caused by the social media phenomenon? It's possible that, in time, companies will find that the hours spent scouring the internet for personal information isn't that productive, and that filters that gauge personal inclinations might work better. Network Rail, for example, has a 'culture quiz' which tests applicants for its graduate and advance apprenticeship positions against the culture of the business; if they score badly, they will not be encouraged to apply. Then there are tests devised by companies like SHL, that assess how a candidate fits with the requirements of the role – ie, proactivity, attitudes towards change, ability to deal with stress; these might not only provide a better assessment than a glance at a Twitter account, but they also remove some of that potential bias.
"If you've got nothing to hide," say those who are unconcerned about privacy issues, "you've got nothing to fear." This clearly isn't true; the prospect of our online presences being misjudged means that we might have nothing to hide, but something to fear. One solution: monitor your social media profile actively, suppressing anything that might compromise you. Don't indulge in cross-dressing – even for fun – or be photographed next to a load of marijuana plants. This, of course, may showcase you as being incredibly dull, but perhaps it's better to be safe than sorry. Alternatively, we could wait for Generation Y – the group most at risk from all this – to assume the hiring and firing roles currently occupied by the baby boomers. Perhaps they'll show a greater tolerance of the errant but very human behaviour that's displayed online.
The internet has brought about a head-on collision between our personal and professional lives. A neatly presented online CV outlining a calm approach to high-pressure situations might stand in stark contrast to a Flickr album featuring pictures of that person screaming at a police cordon during a protest march. A reputation for high-standards of written communication might be compromised by a sequence of misspelled, expletive-filled rants on Facebook.
Wary of being brought into disrepute by the online misdemeanours of its employees, many companies implement social media policies that punish transgressors with disciplinary action; indeed, it's reported that 8 per cent of companies have dismissed people for inappropriate online behaviour. But far less is heard about those whose applications for new jobs fail because of things they've left visibly strewn around the internet.
An American firm by the name of Social Intelligence is gaining a high profile in the USA following the launch of its web-based pre-employment screening service, and the subsequent green light given by an initially suspicious Federal Trade Commission. But the evidence suggests that the practice of digging dirt on the internet has quietly become endemic among employers; you might think that you're being judged on the information you send them, but it might be the things you choose not to reveal that end up denying you the post. And you may never find out the real reason.
Social Intelligence has stated that its activities have very precise boundaries. For each applicant it investigates, a 'deep trawl' is done through the last seven years of blog comments, forum contributions and even classified ads that might have been posted, along with any visible social media content. From that data, a dossier is compiled of specific material that could be seen as dishonourable – eg, examples of racist language, mentions of drug-taking, photos of a sexually explicit nature, or references to weapon usage or other violence.
Those who've failed the Social Intelligence test include one person who made an online enquiry about a possible source of the pain reliever Oxycontin; past dossiers have also included details of membership of borderline-racist Facebook groups such as 'This is America – I shouldn't have to press 1 for English'.
We can't pretend that background checks are a startling innovation. Recruitment and headhunting services base their decisions on more than just the positive information they're initially handed; referees might be asked for personal opinions, professional insights and any other potential leads that would help to build up a better picture of a candidate. Indeed, you could say that old-school recruitment processes such as employee referral schemes and family business connections also operate pre-employment filters, based on the potential candidate's personal link to the company in question.
But employers are increasingly aware of and keen to use the huge informational resource that social media serves up on a plate; all kind of information is in the public domain, and incredibly easy to find – particularly if the applicant has an unusual name. As the chief executive of Social Intelligence has said, with something of a corporate shrug, "All we assemble is what's publicly available on the internet today". Nothing underhand going on here, they say; the company believes that the information is out there to be evaluated.
Of course, the vast majority of people haven't uploaded pictures and text to establish a corpus of data that could be used to microscopically analyse their attitudes towards everything from immigration to giving money to charity; most people have done it because they've been encouraged to do so by online companies dangling the carrot of friendship. Finding people who share your interests, rather than putting off prospective employers who don't. But both are undoubtedly happening.
"This probably started around four years ago," says Chris Purdy, director of Greenfield, a specialist recruitment business based in Luxembourg. "The appearance of networks such as LinkedIn and Xing changed the methodology of how we headhunt; if we wanted a quick reference on a name we heard about, that became the first place to go. But we know that HR departments don't stop at LinkedIn."
One might wonder what level of unacceptable behaviour would cause those departments to rule someone out of the running, but it's clear that the more senior the role, the more scrutiny applicants will be subjected to. "Your online reputation is part of your professional reputation," says Purdy. "If, say, a man is going for a private banking post that puts him in charge of €200m portfolios, pictures of him wearing a thong at a stag do aren't going to go down well."
Few users of social media would emerge from close analysis without some kind of stain on their character. Swearing, sarcasm and stupidity are rampant; we're fallible human beings, after all, and these services are designed to capture every facet of our personality. With Social Intelligence trawling back over seven years of material, growing older and wiser doesn't count for a great deal, either; past indiscretions will come back to haunt us. Mat Honan, an employee of the gadget-guide website Gizmodo, subjected himself to a Social Intelligence check which he failed, thanks to passing references to cocaine and ketamine that he'd made on his blog. But was he being judged unfairly? After all, someone following a spoof BNP Twitter account that satirises racist attitudes could mistakenly be labelled a racist themselves, and a debauched post-party photo might have someone mistakenly tagged as being in it when they aren't. This isn't an exact science; your online bill of health is down to the skill and judgement of whoever's tasked with performing the diagnosis.
According to Angie Youels, who performs HR-related services for small start-up companies, the interest in digging for a bit of colour on a candidate is down to the increasingly unhelpful information that's made available via traditional sources. "Part of the reason this is happening, in my view, is because references are so uninformative. Candidates know that they can find out what's been said about them, so rather than give a reference, they tend to just give dates of employment. In the past they'd have given fuller details."
Bearing this in mind, the airbrushed, one-dimensional and characterless profiles presented on sites like LinkedIn almost feel like an invitation for more invasive, exploratory digging. But there's a danger in digging too far. Companies will become aware of facts that they're legally not allowed to ask as part of the normal screening process. Details of age, ethnicity or political views will inevitably surface – as might, say, a female candidate's pregnancy. Once this information is known, it can't be somehow forgotten. Social Intelligence is predictably keen to highlight the fact that its service keeps such information at arm's length from the companies themselves; Mat Honan's dossier, for example, had his face blacked out throughout so as not to reveal his race, while still detailing his past encounters with drugs.
"I think it would be terribly wrong for someone to be influenced by the fact that a candidate held, say, different political views to theirs," says Youels, "but that's the danger – that people will be rejected because of their stance on this or that." The answer, according to Alexandra Arnott, a director at Octopus, an IT recruitment specialist, is honesty and diligence. "We may become aware of private information or opinions of candidates that are not relevant to the role or recruitment process we're following," she says. "So we must adhere to a strict ethical code and use our judgement and experience to ensure that there is no discrimination."
The process of choosing someone to work for you has always and will always be based upon judgements. Someone might miss out because of a covering letter written in a state of anxiety, or a job interview performance that was less than sparkling because they were feeling unwell. Gut instinct comes into play, and it can't always be quantified. If you have two CVs for a post, one listing "eating granola and doing yoga" as an interest, and the other mentioning membership of Camra, that information will register; a job that involves lots of post-work socialising might suit the beer-drinker better – but the granola fan might be angry that they lost out on that basis. Yet that's life; workplaces are full of people who don't fit in perfectly with their colleagues, and it's not unreasonable to suggest that social media searches could give employers a better idea of how that person might slot in.
As Chris Purdy says, it's human nature to be drawn to people with similar views as your own. "Someone with liberal views isn't going to want to take on someone with strong right-wing views – or vice versa," he says. "Fortunately, most of us don't put objectionable stuff out there. I don't think it's as big an issue as it's made out to be."
So are the gasps of horror in the US surrounding Social Intelligence merely paranoia? And is this just another example of us feeling adrift in the sea of confusion caused by the social media phenomenon? It's possible that, in time, companies will find that the hours spent scouring the internet for personal information isn't that productive, and that filters that gauge personal inclinations might work better. Network Rail, for example, has a 'culture quiz' which tests applicants for its graduate and advance apprenticeship positions against the culture of the business; if they score badly, they will not be encouraged to apply. Then there are tests devised by companies like SHL, that assess how a candidate fits with the requirements of the role – ie, proactivity, attitudes towards change, ability to deal with stress; these might not only provide a better assessment than a glance at a Twitter account, but they also remove some of that potential bias.
"If you've got nothing to hide," say those who are unconcerned about privacy issues, "you've got nothing to fear." This clearly isn't true; the prospect of our online presences being misjudged means that we might have nothing to hide, but something to fear. One solution: monitor your social media profile actively, suppressing anything that might compromise you. Don't indulge in cross-dressing – even for fun – or be photographed next to a load of marijuana plants. This, of course, may showcase you as being incredibly dull, but perhaps it's better to be safe than sorry. Alternatively, we could wait for Generation Y – the group most at risk from all this – to assume the hiring and firing roles currently occupied by the baby boomers. Perhaps they'll show a greater tolerance of the errant but very human behaviour that's displayed online.
Etiquetas:
SOCIAL NETWORKS,
SOCIAL NETWORKS_R,
SOCIALNETWORKS_A,
TECHNOLOGY,
TECHNOLOGY_A
17 February 2012
INTERNET CRAZE (EXAMPLE OF HOW TO WRITE AN OPINION ESSAY)
What do you think about the following statement?
The Internet has forever changed the way we live. Its importance will continue to grow. By the year 2010 most of the world will be conducting its business, receiving its media (TV, films, music), and staying in touch solely via the Internet.
Use the clues and ideas below to help you create an argument for your appointed point of view with your team members. Below you will find phrases and language helpful in expressing opinions, offering explanations and disagreeing.
Opinions, Preferences:
I think..., In my opinion..., I'd like to..., I'd rather..., I'd prefer..., The way I see it..., As far as I'm concerned..., If it were up to me..., I suppose..., I suspect that..., I'm pretty sure that..., It is fairly certain that..., I'm convinced that..., I honestly feel that, I strongly believe that..., Without a doubt,...,
Disagreeing:
I don't think that..., Don't you think it would be better..., I don't agree, I'd prefer..., Shouldn't we consider..., But what about..., I'm afraid I don't agree..., Frankly, I doubt if..., Let's face it, The truth of the matter is..., The problem with your point of view is that...
Giving Reasons and offering explanations: To start with, The reason why..., That's why..., For this reason..., That's the reason why..., Many people think...., Considering..., Allowing for the fact that..., When you consider that...
The Internet Will Change Our Lives In Every Aspect
· The use of the Internet around the world is doubling every few months.
· The Internet has already changed the way we communicate.
· Business have invested billions in the Internet.
· The Internet is becoming faster all the time, you can already watch video or listen to Mp3s via the Internet.
· Many people now live at home and work via the Internet.
· The Internet has created unlimited new business opportunities
· Most people use email instead of writing letters to keep in touch with their friends.
· The Internet is still very young.
The Internet Is Just A New Form Of Communication, But Will Not Change Everything In Our Lives
· The Internet, while interesting, is just a fad.
· People want to go out and meet other people when they do their shopping.
· It is too difficult to use the Internet and computers, most people do not have the patience.
· Reading on a computer screen is uncomfortable and people will never stop wanting to read, listen to music and be entertained in traditional ways.
· The Internet creates cultural homogenization - some would say Americanization, and eventually people will get tired of this.
· The only real interaction between people must take place face to face not 'virtually'.
· The Internet is mainly used by teenagers and other people who have lots of time to waste.
· The 'new' economy of the Internet produces nothing - people cannot buy smoke.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES IN MY OPINION
TWITTER FACES BRAZILIAN LAWSUIT LISTENING WITH SCRIPTS AND VOCABULARY
TWITTER FACES BRAZILIAN LAWSUIT LISTENING WITH SCRIPTS AND VOCABULARY
TWITTER'S BIRTHDAY LISTENING WITH SCRIPTS AND VOCABULARY
Etiquetas:
SOCIAL NETWORKS,
SOCIAL NETWORKS_L,
SOCIAL NETWORKS_R,
TECHNOLOGY,
TECHNOLOGY_A,
TECHNOLOGY_L
16 February 2012
SOCIAL NETWORKS BLOCKED
SHOULD SCHOOLS BLOCK NETWORKING SITES? ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST
Debate: Should employers ban the use of social networking sites at work?
My space is your space. Is it ethical? (arguments for and against)
Is it ethical for colleges, parents or employers to search social networking sites for information about people?
Social networking sites should not allow users under 18
SHOULD KIDS BE ALLOWED ON FACEBOOK (NEWSPAPER ARTICLE)
Debate: Should employers ban the use of social networking sites at work?
My space is your space. Is it ethical? (arguments for and against)
Is it ethical for colleges, parents or employers to search social networking sites for information about people?
Social networking sites should not allow users under 18
SHOULD KIDS BE ALLOWED ON FACEBOOK (NEWSPAPER ARTICLE)
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