What Not to Say Electronically

With the proliferation of electronic communication, it seems you can’t turn around without being reminded that if you don’t want it to come back to haunt you, don’t post it, tweet it or e-mail it, period. Seems like a common-sense kind of warning, yet you see huge corporations being brought down by leaked incriminating e-mails anyway.

Which is the exact topic of a recent NPR article. Writer Jacob Goldstein discusses a set of documents released cataloguing thousands of e-mails sent from Lehman Brothers accounts. A lawyer used search terms to sift out e-mails that documented illegal activity, and used some very interesting terms to do so. A short list of words and phrases pointed to big trouble for Lehman Brothers. Perhaps they’re a good reminder to share with your staff – as things you never want to see them put in writing (including on a “personal” tweet or Facebook account) concerning their actions and any aspect of your salon:

•Stupid mistake

•Big mistake

•Uncomfortable

•I don’t think we should

•Between you and me

•Just between us

•Big trouble

•Can’t believe

•Shocked

•It’s too late

–Lauren Vasquez, Associate Editor