Documenting a drunken binge? Stupid.
Posting it to Facebook/Myspace/YouTube? Career Death.

Talking privately to a friend about someone you don’t like? Acceptable.
Documenting that conversation? Really dumb.
Posting it? Social suicide!

I have clients who use the internet. I have a facebook page, albeit private, and absolutely nothing on there would be information I’m not comfortable sharing. I don’t post updates. I don’t make comments. I don’t add anything that in any way, shape or form indicates a political, religious or social comment. I don’t need clients to find reasons to shy away from my services because they might not agree or they’ll feel I’m not “in sync” with them.

Personal expression is great, I really am on-board with freedom of speech. I support this completely. However, the reality is that despite having a right to do something, you don’t need to exercise that right just because you can. Sometimes, shutting up is the better judgment. You’re welcome to be as free and as expressive as you wish. Just remember that despite how much you think you have a right to be yourself, other people will be judging you 24/7 for the rest of your life. That employer who won’t hire you because you have photos of you being passed-out from last Saturday? Yeah, that employer has a right to judge you and say “No thanks, you’re not our type.” The person you’re dating? Yep, they’ll crawl through your website and see what kind of person you are, and if you’re judged unsavory, you’ll end up on the “REJECTED!” list. If you badmouth your employer on Myspace or Facebook or the likes, you WILL Be discovered and you will almost certainly lose your job. Remember mom’s advice: If you have nothing nice to say about someone, say nothing.

This ain’t discrimination. This ain’t unfair. This ain’t being overly sensitive. This is reality.