Can Twitter Get You Fired?

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Can you get fired using Twitter? Yes you can. There are two way you can get fired using Twitter or any Web 2.0 service for that mater:

• Tweeting @ Work: You can indeed get fired for tweeting at work, and there is no way really to hide it. If you think that you can cover up your monitor and nobody will find out, then you are mistaken. If you use Twitter heavily at work, there is a good chance that your IT will see the outgoing traffic, and they will notify you and your boss about your situation. If you can explain it away, then there will be no issues. But if your job has nothing to do with Web 2.0, twitter, or anything close to that, then you can get reprimanded or fired.
• Status Tweeting: I had a friend who got fired for using Twitter to show what he was doing during a particular day which he was supposed to be sick. He had this whole twitter thing going on from the beach. Sure enough, the employer checked the twitter account and called him up the same day to fire him. I know it’s cruel, but if you lie about your situation to your employer, then anything is fair game. I never get why people need to update their status on Twitter or FaceBook when they are clearly lying. Not that I condone lying to your employer, but if you must, then go do your thing, and don’t put it on FaceBook or Twitter. These sites are public places and there is a good chance people will find out what you are doing there, and you could get in trouble.

When it comes to using the social networking sites, don’t disclose anything that you don’t want to and you don’t have to. Once you put something up on Twitter and people see it, you may not be able to take it back! I did that once on my GTalk and I learned my lesson the hardway.