Introduction
The traditional way to “go online” used to involve a desktop or laptop computer, a screen, keyboard and such, with a plug into the wall for internet connection. These days have given way to nearly two-thirds of Americans accessing the internet from their smart phone (Pew Research Center, Aaron Smith, April 1, 2015). Hence, a great majority of firefighters carry a smart phone that most likely has a camera and access to the internet. This fact creates the ability to take pictures or make status updates, and post them on the internet. Having this ability to post on the internet, usually on a social media website such as Facebook or Twitter has caught many fire departments of guard, and now they are scrambling to catch up and develop …show more content…
Social media and digital imagery issues are multifaceted and each has its own set of problems. Varone (2012) recommends social media policies should give guidelines for personnel that have reasonable restrictions that ensure patient confidentiality information is respected, information pertaining to investigations and other nonpublic information is kept confidential, and all fire department identifiers such as logos, badges, uniforms, or any other identifiers are not posted on the internet. One of the most problematic issues at hand is avoiding employees from being viewed as a spokesperson for the department by the public or …show more content…
Myers (1983) employees actions are not always protected by the First Amendment. This court case examines the rights of an employee (Myers) that circulating an inter-office questionnaire concerning office policies. Myers was unhappy about being transferred to a different office, which prompted her to circulate the questionnaire that was a survey of how interoffice business was conducted. She was terminated for refusing the transfer and informed that the questionnaire was viewed as insubordination. The difference in this case is that nearly all of Myer’s questions dealt with private internal matters and not issues of public importance. Using the Pickering Balance Test, the court had to determine if Myers’ right to free speech in this matter outweighed Connick’s interest in creating an efficient work environment. The majority sided with Connick’s efficiency
The traditional way to “go online” used to involve a desktop or laptop computer, a screen, keyboard and such, with a plug into the wall for internet connection. These days have given way to nearly two-thirds of Americans accessing the internet from their smart phone (Pew Research Center, Aaron Smith, April 1, 2015). Hence, a great majority of firefighters carry a smart phone that most likely has a camera and access to the internet. This fact creates the ability to take pictures or make status updates, and post them on the internet. Having this ability to post on the internet, usually on a social media website such as Facebook or Twitter has caught many fire departments of guard, and now they are scrambling to catch up and develop …show more content…
Social media and digital imagery issues are multifaceted and each has its own set of problems. Varone (2012) recommends social media policies should give guidelines for personnel that have reasonable restrictions that ensure patient confidentiality information is respected, information pertaining to investigations and other nonpublic information is kept confidential, and all fire department identifiers such as logos, badges, uniforms, or any other identifiers are not posted on the internet. One of the most problematic issues at hand is avoiding employees from being viewed as a spokesperson for the department by the public or …show more content…
Myers (1983) employees actions are not always protected by the First Amendment. This court case examines the rights of an employee (Myers) that circulating an inter-office questionnaire concerning office policies. Myers was unhappy about being transferred to a different office, which prompted her to circulate the questionnaire that was a survey of how interoffice business was conducted. She was terminated for refusing the transfer and informed that the questionnaire was viewed as insubordination. The difference in this case is that nearly all of Myer’s questions dealt with private internal matters and not issues of public importance. Using the Pickering Balance Test, the court had to determine if Myers’ right to free speech in this matter outweighed Connick’s interest in creating an efficient work environment. The majority sided with Connick’s efficiency