Task 1B - Professional Communication and online interactions
As our use of web 2.0 becomes more common place in our everyday lives, the lines between our personal and professional lives often becomes blurred. As artists we are not removed from our professions in the same way that some others are and we input so much of our personal selves into our work that it becomes who we are and not just our job.
So how does the way we interact online impact our professional profile? As a dance teacher I have made a conscious effort not to become 'friends' with any of my students on social media platforms but this does not stop them from potentially seeing what I post and having that insight into my personal life. This quickly becomes an ethical consideration as my use of the web is now able to be monitored by students, employers, and colleagues at all times.
Another consideration about our use of the web is when applying for jobs, should we expect that our potential employers are going to take a look through our social media accounts? I have had jobs before where we were set to have a fair amount of public attention and all social media accounts had to be vetted and checked before being offered the position. I understand the necessity of monitoring to a degree but then are employers crossing an ethical line when they are asking for all personal posts to fall within their guidelines?
As the ethics of posting online becomes an issue that I am more aware of it definitely makes me think twice before I publish anything and I think that is something that all of us could do a bit more. As a teacher I know that there are students who follow me and although I don't control who looks at my profile I do feel a responsibility to keep my 'private life' (if you can label anything online as private) suitable for anyone who were to view it. Again so often our personal life is our professional life and one can not be without the other and so as artists we have a responsibility to act a certain way online.
I am wondering how many of you have a separate professional profile on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram? And when using these do you include personal posts or are they strictly business? I would love to hear your thoughts!
So how does the way we interact online impact our professional profile? As a dance teacher I have made a conscious effort not to become 'friends' with any of my students on social media platforms but this does not stop them from potentially seeing what I post and having that insight into my personal life. This quickly becomes an ethical consideration as my use of the web is now able to be monitored by students, employers, and colleagues at all times.
Another consideration about our use of the web is when applying for jobs, should we expect that our potential employers are going to take a look through our social media accounts? I have had jobs before where we were set to have a fair amount of public attention and all social media accounts had to be vetted and checked before being offered the position. I understand the necessity of monitoring to a degree but then are employers crossing an ethical line when they are asking for all personal posts to fall within their guidelines?
As the ethics of posting online becomes an issue that I am more aware of it definitely makes me think twice before I publish anything and I think that is something that all of us could do a bit more. As a teacher I know that there are students who follow me and although I don't control who looks at my profile I do feel a responsibility to keep my 'private life' (if you can label anything online as private) suitable for anyone who were to view it. Again so often our personal life is our professional life and one can not be without the other and so as artists we have a responsibility to act a certain way online.
I am wondering how many of you have a separate professional profile on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram? And when using these do you include personal posts or are they strictly business? I would love to hear your thoughts!
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