Anyone who has sampled today's social media offerings has probably experienced this situation: You find a...

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Anyone who has sampled today's social media offerings has probably experienced this situation: You find a few fascinating blogs, a few interesting people to follow on Twitter, a couple of podcast channels with helpful business tips, and then wham- within a few hours of signing up, your computer is overflow- ing with updates. Even if every new item is useful (which is unlikely), you receive so many that you can't stay ahead of the incoming flood. Between Twitter updates, newsfeeds, email, instant messaging, and social networks-not to mention a desk phone and a mobile phone-today's business professionals could easily spend their entire days just trying to keep up with incoming messages and never get any work done. To keep social media from turning into a source of stress and information anxiety, consider these tips: Understand what information you really need in or- der to excel in your current projects and along your intended career path. Unfortunately, taking this advice is even trickier than it sounds because you can't always know what you need to know, so you can't always predict which sources will be helpful. However, don't gather infor- mation simply because it is interesting or entertaining; col- lect information that is useful or at least potentially useful. Face the fact that you cannot possibly handle every update from every potentially interesting and help- ful source. You have to set priorities and make tough choices to protect yourself from information overload. Add new information sources slowly. Give yourself a chance to adjust to the flow and judge the usefulness of each new source. Prune your sources vigorously and frequently. Bloggers run out of things to say; your needs and interests change; higher-priority sources appear. Remember that information is an enabler, a means to an end. Collecting vast amounts of information won't get you a sweet promotion with a big raise. Using informa- tion creatively and intelligently will. CAREER APPLICATIONS 1. How can you determine whether a social media source is worth paying attention to? 2. Should you allow any information source to interrupt your work flow during the day (even just to signal that a new message is available)? Why or why not? Activate Go to Settin COMMUNICATION Can You Get Sued for Writing- or Not Writing-a Recommendation Letter? MISCUES Recommendation letters are classified as routine messages, but with all the legal troubles they can cause employers these days, they've become anything but routine. Over the years, employees have won lawsuits that charged former employers with defamation related to job recommendations. In addition to defamation charges-which can be successfully defended if the "defamatory" statements are proven to be true-employers have been sued for retaliation by ex-employees who believed that negative letters were written expressly for purposes of re- venge. And as if that weren't enough, employers have even sued each other over recommendation letters when the recipient of a letter believed the writer failed to disclose important negative information. No wonder many companies now refuse to divulge any- thing more than job titles and dates of employment. But even that doesn't always solve the problem: Ex-employees have been known to sue for retaliation when their employ- ers refused to write on their behalf. As you can imagine, this refusal to write recommendations creates worries for hiring companies. If they can't get any real background information on job candidates, they risk hiring employees who lack the necessary skills or who are disruptive or even dangerous in the workplace. For companies that let managers write recommendations, what sort of information should or should not be included? Even though the majority of states now have laws protecting companies against recommendation-related lawsuits when the employer acts in good faith, individual cases vary so much that no specific guidelines can ever apply to all cases. However, answering the following questions before drafting a recom- mendation letter will help you avoid trouble: Does the party receiving this personal information have a legitimate right to it? Does all the information I've presented relate directly to the job or benefit being sought? Have I put the candidate's case as strongly and as honestly as I can? Have I avoided overstating the candidate's abilities or otherwise misleading the reader? Have I based all my statements on firsthand knowledge and provable facts? No matter what the circumstances, experts also advise that you always consult your human resources or legal department for advice. CAREER APPLICATIONS 1. A former employee was often late for work but was an excellent and fast worker who got along well with everyone. Do you think it's important to mention the tardiness to potential employers? If so, how would you handle it? 2. Step outside yourself for a moment and write a letter of recommendation about you from a former employ- er's perspective. Make sure your letter embodies honesty, integrity, and prudence. Sources: Adapted from "How to Write Reference Letters," National Association of Colleges and Employers website, accessed 5 July 2010, www.naceweb.org; Diane Cadrain, "HR Professionals Stymied by Vanishing Job References," HR Magazine, November 2004, 31-40; "Five (or More) Ways You Can Be Sued for Writing (or Not Writing) Recommendation Letters," Fair Employment Practice Guidelines, July 2006, 1, 3-4; Rochelle Kaplan, "Writing a Recommendation Letter," National Association of Colleges and Employers website, accessed 12 October 2006, www.naceweb.org; Maura Dolan and Stuart Silverstein, "Court Broadens Liability for Job References," Los Angeles Times, 28 January 1997, A1, A11; David A. Price, "Good References Pave Road to Court," USA Today, 13 February 1997, 11A; Frances A. McMorris, "Ex-Bosses Face Less Peril Giving Honest Job References," Wall Street Journal, 8 July 1996, B1, B8. Anyone who has sampled today's social media offerings has probably experienced this situation: You find a few fascinating blogs, a few interesting people to follow on Twitter, a couple of podcast channels with helpful business tips, and then wham- within a few hours of signing up, your computer is overflow- ing with updates. Even if every new item is useful (which is unlikely), you receive so many that you can't stay ahead of the incoming flood. Between Twitter updates, newsfeeds, email, instant messaging, and social networks-not to mention a desk phone and a mobile phone-today's business professionals could easily spend their entire days just trying to keep up with incoming messages and never get any work done. To keep social media from turning into a source of stress and information anxiety, consider these tips: Understand what information you really need in or- der to excel in your current projects and along your intended career path. Unfortunately, taking this advice is even trickier than it sounds because you can't always know what you need to know, so you can't always predict which sources will be helpful. However, don't gather infor- mation simply because it is interesting or entertaining; col- lect information that is useful or at least potentially useful. Face the fact that you cannot possibly handle every update from every potentially interesting and help- ful source. You have to set priorities and make tough choices to protect yourself from information overload. Add new information sources slowly. Give yourself a chance to adjust to the flow and judge the usefulness of each new source. Prune your sources vigorously and frequently. Bloggers run out of things to say; your needs and interests change; higher-priority sources appear. Remember that information is an enabler, a means to an end. Collecting vast amounts of information won't get you a sweet promotion with a big raise. Using informa- tion creatively and intelligently will. CAREER APPLICATIONS 1. How can you determine whether a social media source is worth paying attention to? 2. Should you allow any information source to interrupt your work flow during the day (even just to signal that a new message is available)? Why or why not? Activate Go to Settin COMMUNICATION Can You Get Sued for Writing- or Not Writing-a Recommendation Letter? MISCUES Recommendation letters are classified as routine messages, but with all the legal troubles they can cause employers these days, they've become anything but routine. Over the years, employees have won lawsuits that charged former employers with defamation related to job recommendations. In addition to defamation charges-which can be successfully defended if the "defamatory" statements are proven to be true-employers have been sued for retaliation by ex-employees who believed that negative letters were written expressly for purposes of re- venge. And as if that weren't enough, employers have even sued each other over recommendation letters when the recipient of a letter believed the writer failed to disclose important negative information. No wonder many companies now refuse to divulge any- thing more than job titles and dates of employment. But even that doesn't always solve the problem: Ex-employees have been known to sue for retaliation when their employ- ers refused to write on their behalf. As you can imagine, this refusal to write recommendations creates worries for hiring companies. If they can't get any real background information on job candidates, they risk hiring employees who lack the necessary skills or who are disruptive or even dangerous in the workplace. For companies that let managers write recommendations, what sort of information should or should not be included? Even though the majority of states now have laws protecting companies against recommendation-related lawsuits when the employer acts in good faith, individual cases vary so much that no specific guidelines can ever apply to all cases. However, answering the following questions before drafting a recom- mendation letter will help you avoid trouble: Does the party receiving this personal information have a legitimate right to it? Does all the information I've presented relate directly to the job or benefit being sought? Have I put the candidate's case as strongly and as honestly as I can? Have I avoided overstating the candidate's abilities or otherwise misleading the reader? Have I based all my statements on firsthand knowledge and provable facts? No matter what the circumstances, experts also advise that you always consult your human resources or legal department for advice. CAREER APPLICATIONS 1. A former employee was often late for work but was an excellent and fast worker who got along well with everyone. Do you think it's important to mention the tardiness to potential employers? If so, how would you handle it? 2. Step outside yourself for a moment and write a letter of recommendation about you from a former employ- er's perspective. Make sure your letter embodies honesty, integrity, and prudence. Sources: Adapted from "How to Write Reference Letters," National Association of Colleges and Employers website, accessed 5 July 2010, www.naceweb.org; Diane Cadrain, "HR Professionals Stymied by Vanishing Job References," HR Magazine, November 2004, 31-40; "Five (or More) Ways You Can Be Sued for Writing (or Not Writing) Recommendation Letters," Fair Employment Practice Guidelines, July 2006, 1, 3-4; Rochelle Kaplan, "Writing a Recommendation Letter," National Association of Colleges and Employers website, accessed 12 October 2006, www.naceweb.org; Maura Dolan and Stuart Silverstein, "Court Broadens Liability for Job References," Los Angeles Times, 28 January 1997, A1, A11; David A. Price, "Good References Pave Road to Court," USA Today, 13 February 1997, 11A; Frances A. McMorris, "Ex-Bosses Face Less Peril Giving Honest Job References," Wall Street Journal, 8 July 1996, B1, B8.

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1A Determining the Worth of a Social Media Source Credibility Assess the credibility of the source by examining factors such as the authors expertise the publications reputation and the accuracy of th... View the full answer