You May Want To Rethink Those Facebook Photos - Seriously!!!

By Peggy Klaus

Admittedly, I am not a heavy user of social networking sites and I don’t blog on a regular basis. However, I have become very mindful about how I might be perceived and the messages I want to convey. After all, any online content will continue to brag on my behalf for months and years to come.

I started thinking seriously about virtual branding after a recent visit from my niece, who, after taking a few months to travel in South America following graduation from college, returned home to apply for jobs. She stopped by for some help with her resume and some coaching for an upcoming interview. Wanting to show me a few pictures from her trip, she logged onto her Facebook page. As we sat together and scrolled through her photo albums, I was appalled. Now admittedly, I’m two generations removed from Millennials and much has changed regarding etiquette and behavior during that time.

However, of the 300-some pictures on her Facebook page, about 280 of them showed her in party mode with drink in hand or tilting towards her glassy-eyed inebriated friends. And the kicker was a photo of her smoking a hookah. When I shrieked at that one, she said very innocently, “We’re not smoking grass, Aunt Peggy! It’s tobacco!”

Although that might be the truth, I explained, a potential employer couldn’t possibly know that. It’s a well-known fact that employers not only Google potential employees but also look them up on sites like Facebook and MySpace. And, though I might be accused by some Gen-Yers of being old fashioned, the photos my niece had posted on her Facebook site did not portray the image of her she would want hiring managers to have. She reluctantly agreed to revise her selection of photos and delete the incriminating ones.

Social media is a powerful tool that can do wonders for our businesses, rekindle relationships, make us feel more connected, and save us time. But unfortunately, if left unattended, it can become a negative gift that keeps on giving. For some tips on making social media work for you, not against you, click here.

Boss Working Your Last Nerve? Instead Of Quitting, How About A Little Poison In Her Coffee

Those Damn Female Bosses!

An employee at an electronics manufacturing company in Memphis, Tennessee, was recently busted after he allegedly tried to sneak just a little poison into his supervisor's morning cup of joe.

Tommy Chiu was not a happy camper and wanted revenge on Debra Rose.

Click here for a video report from MyFoxMemphis.com.

Rose told police that she had placed her coffee mug on her desk and walked out of her office. When she returned, she saw Chiu holding a baster-like object over the mug.

After the coffee was sent to a lab for analysis, it was believed to contain a substance found in paint thinner and airplane fuel. Don't you hate that?

Chiu has been charged with first-degree attempted murder. We have no idea why! Too bad he didn't have a boss like 30 Rock's Tina Fey, right Tracey Morgan?

WHY ARE BLACK FOLKS GETTING LOADED AT WORK? OKAY... IT'S NOT JUST US!

One in 12 full-time workers in America acknowledge having used illegal drugs in the past month, government workers reported... after smoking a dubie.

When you factor in folks that are straight up lying, it's really like one in four!

Most of those who report using illicit drugs are employed full-time, with the highest rates among restaurant workers (code for Latinos), 17.4 percent, and construction workers (code for non-college educated White boys), 15.1 percent, according to a federal study being released Monday.

About 4 percent of teachers and social service workers reported using illegal drugs in the past month, which was among the lowest rates. (That's us, family!)

The latest study comes from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, an agency within the Health and Human Services Department. Joe Gfroerer, an agency official, said most of the illicit drug use involved marijuana.

Yeah, we would imagine it's pretty hard getting through the day "Shermed out," our messin' with that crystal meth!

Anne Skinstad, a researcher and clinical psychologist, called the survey's results "very worrisome" because there are fewer treatment programs than there used to be to assist employees and employers with a dependence on drugs.

Now Anne's an alcoholic, but we digress!

"Some employers want drug testing. I'm not sure that's the way I would like to go," said Skinstad. "What I think I would like to focus on is employee performance."

The study also showed that the prevalence of illegal drug use reported by full-time workers in the past month was highest among younger workers.

Nineteen percent of workers age 18 to 25 said they used illegal drugs during the past month, compared with 10.3 percent among those age 26 to 34; 7 percent among those age 35 to 49; and 2.6 percent among those age 50 to 64.

Men accounted for about two-thirds of the workers — 6.4 million — who reported using illegal drugs. Men were also more likely than women to report illegal drug use in the past month — 9.7 percent for men, versus 6.2 percent for women.

The study also looked at alcohol use by workers. About 10.1 million full-time workers, or 8.8 percent, reported heavy alcohol use. Heavy alcohol use was defined as drinking five or more drinks on one occasion at least five times in the past 30 days.

Skinstad had no comment on that data!