publicvsprivate

=Public vs. Private=

We often think of our professional and our personal lives as being separate entities. Our professional lives are guided by a code of ethics and values defined by our place of work and our personal lives are guided by our own code of ethics and values. More often that not, these ethics and values overlap quite a bit. However, we still may have different expectations of behavior in the work place versus our home. A big part of this is based on the type of relationships we have with others.

When we interact with close friends and family: How do we act? cordial, relaxed, open What do we expect? give & take, honesty, laughter What holds the relationship together? common interests, trust, love How long does relationship last? extended period of time

When we interact with co-workers and students: How do we act? formal, guarded, agenda-driven What do we expect? results, respect What holds the relationship together? agreement, mutual interest How long does relationship last? as long as needed

When we are interacting face to face with someone, we usually remember to behave according to the expectations based on whether this is a personal or professional relationship. Many problems occur, when we forget to take these same expectations into consideration with our online communication. Has anyone ever sent an e-mail to someone with private information that somehow got forwarded on to others? With the advent of online social networking sites, now, more than ever, it is so easy for our private interactions to become public, whether by our actions or others. It is extremely important to carefully consider what you share online and who you choose to interact with. Remember that your online behavior reflects on your professional as well as your personal life. Oh and all that stuff you put online will probably be around forever.

What happens when we do not consider all the implications of our online interactions? The Washington Post article, [|When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web], shows how easy it was for a reporter to uncover some pretty inappropriate content created by teachers.

What happens when we don't educate our students on all the implications of their online interactions? ABC News reported a story, [|Teacher's Nightmare: Ogling Video on YouTube], where a student posted a video of a teacher sitting at a graduation ceremony. Doesn't seem like a big deal, except that "The video was three and a half minutes of me. It would go to my face, to my butt, to my face."