OPEN

Reminder: you’re always (potentially) on the record online

February 19, 2009

Image: The NUJ's website - inadvertently blowing the whistle on itself? — Image: The NUJ's website – inadvertently blowing the whistle on itself?

It pays to be a little paranoid about emails, IMs and the likes sometimes – about not saying things in them you wouldn’t like repeated elsewhere. Especially when it comes to matters professional and commercial…

When Adam Tinworth voiced his anger at the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and its attitude to social media in a post on his blog, I’m sure he expected officials there to read it. I’m sure he even expected the lively discussion that followed in the comments section of his blog.

Analysis of the links that were sending traffic to this post gave an insight into the NUJ‘s reaction to the piece in a rather unexpected way. One link in particular he decoded as being from an email at the NUJ that must have been headlined “Effing Blogs”.

No problems with attitudes to social media there. Sounds very open minded.

Despite years of leaks, gaffes and slip-ups involving emails, voice mails, Tweets and IMs, people don’t seem to get it. So, once more, for the record:

You’re always (maybe) on the record online.

Best to act that way.

Antony Mayfield

Public notebook

Blogs, confidentiality, jourmnalism, NUJ, privacy, Social media, web shadows

2 responses to “Reminder: you’re always (potentially) on the record online”

Dan Thornton

February 20, 2009 at 11:56 am

Have you seen the follow up comment by Chris Wheel?

‘The NUJ fails to maintain standards in blogs because bloggers themselves rejoice in having lower standards. ‘

http://www.onemanandhisblog.com/archives/2009/02/nuj_effing_blogs.html#comment-235173
Antony Mayfield

February 21, 2009 at 6:18 pm

I did, yes – incredible. I really thought that kind of attitude of denial was fading away, but apparently some people are stuck on resentment and hostility as a reaction to social media.