F-bomb dropped. Image macwagen on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/macwagen/2918460559/
Did the headline get your attention?
Would you have been offended if I would’ve used the full F-word?
Last week, there was a bit of an online flare up when the employee of an agency my company* uses for one of its brands inadvertently tweeted from the brand Twitter account rather than his own — and dropped a full-blown F-bomb about Detroit drivers.
Some of the reaction to that tweet and to my company’s reaction indicated that the company should grow up and that dropping an F-bomb is really no big deal.
I totally disagree with that sentiment. Granted, verbally, yes I swear a times. Even in front of my kids; though usually out of frustration. It’s not right, and my wife, Amy, calls me out for it — as she should.
But, online, I don’t think I’ve ever sent a tweet, Facebook update, wrote a blog post, left a comment, etc., that included a swear word. Maybe once or twice, but definitely not recently.
Am I being a prude? Am I wrong and that it really is okay to type ______ (fill in the blank with your favorite cuss word) from a personal account on a social media platform?
No it’s not.
For many/most of us, the lines of personal and professional life blur in social media. What you type and who you are online DOES reflect on your clients, your employer. Even if it’s not — it’s a reflection on you: That you can’t control your temper or you need to resort to swearing to get your point across.
And, if you’re a parent, how do you deal with your kids when it comes to swearing? Are there F-bombs, God D_ _ _s, $hits and other swear words dropped all over the house? Do your kids use it on their online networks — and you think it’s okay?
Granted, one can use swearing to be funny, and that’s generally understood when done.
But to use that language online (and yes, even verbally), it’s more a sign of immaturity than anything else.
And if you don’t like my $0.02 on the topic, guess you’re just SOL (Shoot! I’m out of luck, as I tell my kids.).
-Mike
*Two things here: If you don’t know what I’m talking about, do a Google search with some of the words in my sentence. Second, technically, I’m a contract employee but I essentially bleed pentastar blood.
I have been looking for a job in the social media space for awhile and I am a die hard Red Wings fan and know of a hash tag which is called #F**kYea! While I appreciate it I think last year I might have participated but this year I chose not to.
Sometimes I do swear online when my team is not playing to my high expectations and people tend to swear. I sometimes retweet them and I also tend to edit it first. I know what I am doing is searchable and I would not want a potential employer to see those when he/she looks me up.
Will they see that I edited myself yes and I am NOT sure if that matters in the long run. But I prefer to edit myself when swearing. We have Freedom of Speech but I do NOT believe when you are looking for a job you should be swearing. I know people who don’t care but I tend to edit it.
Will people care in the end? I don’t know. I guess you would have to ask the potential employers.