4 'friends' corp secs should avoid on Facebook

Holiday parties and events are approaching and with that a fair amount of socializing is expected. At this time of year we meet colleagues and make new friends from different departments and industries, many of whom may wish to stay in touch all year round and what better way to do that than by adding them to your Facebook ‘friends list’?

Deciding whether or not to accept a ‘friend request’ from a colleague, boss or even a former employee on Facebook is a problem many professionals face.

The idea of reconnecting with old friends or former work colleagues may seem intriguing, but if not done with care, there can be some repercussions and the wrong person can end up on your friends list.

For corporate secretaries rushing to fill their friends list, it’s always a good idea to know who has access to your Facebook page, especially if you are new to the application. Often, in legal, compliance and governance roles, there is an expectation of neutrality and objectivity among friends – even in a public forum.

‘An appearance of an overly close relationship with, for example, a C suite employee - that is expressed in a public or semi-private venue such as Facebook - may be legitimate grounds to challenge outcomes of a company’s due diligence process,’ says Kathy Vanderziel, vice president and senior counsel, Capital Group Companies. ‘Activities on social media are discoverable in litigation if relevant and can be very broadly defined depending on the subject matter of the litigation.’

Vanderziel raises the point that a Facebook friend can eventually turn into a whistleblower or a witness of a major corporate crime, and if this happens, showing that you are connected to this individual can lead to some serious consequences.

‘If in-house professionals are not thoughtful and careful about comments made on Facebook, they may find themselves in situations where they have revealed information that could impact their credibility in the workplace, the reputation of their company and even their reputation within the community.’

So, before blindly accepting a friend request, Vanderziel says a corporate secretary should consider the following:

•    Think before adding your work colleagues, members from professional group or company vendors: Carefully consider who are your friends on Facebook from the workplace, professional organizations or strategic vendors. Professional social media sites may be a better place to communicate with these individuals, such as LinkedIn.

 •    What if these ‘friends’ are already on your list? If you have friends from the workplace or other professional environments, limit or eliminate references to your job or workplace from your postings. Keep it strictly personal and avoid having too much information displayed. This can be done by following the instructions under the ‘privacy’ button on the website.

•    Facebook aliases: Some feel that hiding behind a pseudonym is safe, especially when trying to gain access to someone else’s information. By using a false name a work colleague or competitor can create a fake profile and send you a ‘friend request’. Unknowingly, if you confirm such a request, you are putting all of your private information at stake. There is a need to remain vigilant and a corporate secretary should carefully scan a friend request before confirming.

•    A picture is worth a thousand words: If you have a picture or a post that would embarrass you if it were widely distributed or made public, think twice about including it on your Facebook page. Furthermore, friends have the ability to ‘tag’ you in a picture, which can become visible to hundreds of people.  Within hours, this picture can go viral and end up on sites that you never knew existed.

Bottom line:  Before telling the world about your weekly escapades, please note that your information can be distributed to different sources through one medium – friends.  As legal professionals, when you are connected to hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, it is easy to forget who is sitting quietly and watching your every move.   

What are your thoughts? How many Facebook friends do you have?