Follow the NUS on Twitter
More recently, it became a key tool for co-ordinating responses and gathering news during the Iranian election protests when many forms of local media had been shutdown. However, a couple of occurrences in the world of sport this week showed a different side to Twitter and it’s one that can put your job at risk.
Philip Hughes, Cricketer
Hughes announced he had been dropped from the Australian team for the third Ashes test hours before the official announcement. He said
“Disappointed not to be on the field with the lads today, will be supporting the guys, it's a BIG test match 4 us. Thanks 4 all the support!”
He is now expected to face a dressing down by the Australian cricket authorities for revealing the team line-up before he was allowed to.
Darren Bent, Footballer
The Tottenham Hotspur striker was on the verge of a transfer to Sunderland when the two clubs struggled to agree a fee for the player. After a number of alleged Tweets from the player throughout the day, his final one caused the most controversy:
"Do I wanna go Hull City NO. Do I wanna go stoke NO do I wanna go sunderland YES so stop f****** around, Levy. Sunderland are not the problem in the slightest."
The account was quickly shut down and the Tottenham chairman, David Levy, fined him two weeks wage before eventually selling him to Sunderland.
Bent is not the only person who has nearly lost a job due to Tweeting. The most famous occurrence of this happened to an American man who Tweeted immediately after a job interview:
“Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.”
Unfortunately, the hiring manager at Cisco saw the tweet and replied:
“[I am] the hiring manager. I’m sure they would love to know that you will hate the work. We here at Cisco are versed in the web.”
It is a fair assumption that the man in question (now known across the internet as 'Cisco Fatty') didn’t end up getting the job.
Top Tips
It is good thing to consider the following when you are using social networking sites:
- Don’t write (or tweet) things you wouldn’t want your parent/teacher/employer to read;
- Don’t post pictures that you wouldn’t want others to see;
- Try not to write negative things about your work, study or colleagues;
- If you do any of the above, make sure your privacy settings are set accordingly.
So, if you’re looking for a job this summer and are a regular Twitter user, just remember to think before you Tweet.
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