It’s official. The decline of the “social” side of social media is here. It was only a matter of time. Ashley Payne, a high school teacher, was told by her principal to resign from her job because of inappropriate photographs and status updates on her Facebook page. Payne’s photos showed her drinking alcohol. No, it wasn’t on the job, nor was it even during the workweek. She was on vacation in Europe visiting the Guinness Brewery and a local pub in Dublin. As a result of her termination, Payne sued the school district claiming she was “not made aware of her rights”.

You might be thinking: “Cases like hers don’t happen often, right?” That is no longer the case. Our increasing reliance on online communications and information technology has made cases like Ashley’s a common phenomenon.

Networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have grown at astonishing rates. As of July 2011, there are 750 million active Facebook users! About 1 in every 13 people on Earth at any given time are logging on, sharing links, uploading photos, sending friend requests, and posting status updates. Compare that to the 50 million active users in 2007. This apparent obsession with social media has brought about its rapid transition from a novelty to a powerful business tool.

New media practices have played a major role in the explosive increase in mobile communications. In fact, a recent report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) states that mobile broadband connections grew by more than 27% in the first half of 2010. This growth is driving the shortages we are seeing across the U.S. for skilled OSP engineers.

MOUNTAIN, LTD.™, an engineering solutions firm based in Maine, reports that placement for OSP engineers are up 25% year over year. There is a high demand for fiber engineers as businesses in metropolitan areas are requiring more broadband capabilities. Engineers are needed to design Metro-Ethernets and added fiber to the cell sites so that the additional bandwidth can be met to enable all of the requirements for media downloads.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), despite the high demand for additional workers, telecommunications industry employment (defined by the BLS as voice, video, and Internet communication services) is expected to decline by 9% over the 2008-2018 period due to productivity increases. In other words, because the work will be so specific to meeting bandwidth needs, finding quality workers with the required skills and experience in this area is becoming harder than ever.

So, do some of the answers lie within the realm of social media?

Social media applications are quickly becoming an integral part of sourcing and hiring. Approximately, 89% of human resource and recruiting professionals surveyed this year indicated that they either already use some form of social media in recruiting or will in the next year (July 2011, Jobvite). About 64% responded that they have actually hired people through a social network. In addition, the Federal Trade Commission recently announced that employers can now use social media as part of a background check on potential employees.

Hiring managers have discovered that social networks offer an uncensored peek into the unguarded moments of job candidates’ lives, but they run the risk of violating regulations from agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

What steps can be taken to avoid the risk of lawsuits and violations? Keep in mind that the traditional laws against discrimination still apply in the digital era. Relying heavily on sourcing candidates through social networking sites, employers run the risk of being challenged on discrimination grounds. According to the media analytics firm Quantcast, only 5% of LinkedIn’s members are African American and only 2% are Hispanic. But the legal pitfalls stretch beyond race and gender.

The mere appearance of discrimination can create problems. The press is littered with stories about job candidates who seemed promising until an online search revealed posts in which they bragged about drug use, tweets that contained racial slurs, and other negative material. Fortunately, consumer-reporting agencies are beginning to generate data based on employer pre-defined criteria, making it safer to incorporate social media into pre-employment screening. Employers can choose to be exposed only to information that is relevant and may legally be considered in the hiring process.

What about the job candidates and employees? Aren’t they vulnerable to having their privacy violated and being unlawfully discriminated against? It all depends. Hiring managers see only what candidates and employees post, thus it’s crucial for candidates and employees to carefully manage their content so they are recognized for their assets, achievements and contributions, instead of their private lives and possible indiscretions.

Perhaps the term social networks has proved to be a misnomer. We are currently interacting in a series of professional networks, whether we like it or not. Individuals like Ashley are learning that divulging too much on these sites can have adverse effects on their professional lives.

Employers must also proceed with caution as we ascertain the best ways to access and use available data in practical, legally defensible, and ethical ways.

We don’t need to become “anti-social”. The risks posed by the use of social media are high, but these networks are here to stay, and as the global information society develops, they are likely to become even more central to the hiring process. When it comes to screening candidates, these sites are arguably the best way to validate resume experience, gain insight into applicants’ personalities, and unearth undesirable behavior.

Social networks can be used to our advantage in the business world. We can still play the game -- we just needed to figure out the rules.

 April Metivier is COO of MOUNTAIN, LTD.™ and is an active member of the board of the Telephone Association of New England. She has been involved in recruitment solutions for the telecommunications industry since 1999. For more information, visit www.mountainltd.com.

What’s your take on this subject? Leave a comment and get the conversation going.