Ok folks…
Please use your brain.
What you write, blog, tweet, and who you friend on facebook, or connect to on Linked In, is visible to the entire world. And sometimes, those friends, links, blogs and tweets will be used against you in Court.
A Non-compete client “friended” me on facebook last week.
I ignored him.
Why?
Because this guy may end up leaving a company and going to work for a competitor. And if he gets sued and they ask him how long he has been planning this move… or how he knows his attorneys, and they see we have been friends on facebook for months and months, it looks odd. It looks planned. it makes him look like a jerk and he isn’t.
It also looks odd if you leave a company and then two minutes later, are on linked in connecting to your old clients, vendors, etc. or writing on facebook about your new business a day after resigning.
So please. Heed this advice. If you are making a job change, radio silence for a few months is good on the interwebs. Heck, if there is a chance you will get sued, I think radio silence for the entire litigation is a good idea.
Trust me. People are reading your posts and looking for evidence to use against you.
I do!
For a case that was headed toward trial I found all sorts of yummy stuff on facebook and linked in.
Like stuff a company claimed to be trade secret, was on their Linked In page! YES. Score one for me.
So please – be smart. Use your head. Don’t friend or Link to everyone, or post your random thoughts about bosses, employees etc. There is still place for discretion in the world.