I hope you read my post yesterday on the newspaper crisis hitting close to home.
Assuming you did, you probably realized that I was writing about the privately-held company I work for.
And you probably realized that I know at least a little more than I shared.
If you've ever worked for somebody else – either as a full-time employee or an independent contractor – you've probably signed something that said you won't give away company secrets.
OK...but how do you know what's a company secret?
Basically, if you can't verify it independently of internal communications within your company (including face-to-face meetings or phone calls), it's a company secret.
And if you have a blog, or a Twitter account, or a Facebook account, or a MySpace page or a... you'd better be damned sure what's a company secret and what's not, because you're Google-able. And expendable. Just sayin'.
That's why I made sure to link to a publicly available source for any news about the company. And while I do have some other information, I'm not sharing it. That's part of a balance you need to know – and as more graduates enter the workforce for the first time in a we-share-everything-because-we-think-it's-only-for-our-friends environment, it's something worth thinking about, both as a potential employee and as a potential employer.
talks about this a lot at panels and in classes – about making yourself available, but not laying it all out there.
It really is a fine line you have to walk, but it's really important that you walk it, erring on the safe side.
December 26th, 2009 at 08:51
very good point here. Linking to it being reported elsewhere likely will douse the flames a little. But I wouldn’t go so far as saying the company won’t be upset that you’re addressing anything related to its business, regardless of it being printed elsewhere first.
December 26th, 2009 at 08:52
Well, sure they’re allowed to be upset, but what they can’t accuse me of is divulging company secrets — knowledge that I would only have by virtue of my position within the company.
It’s a matter of “we’re mad at you” versus “you’re fired, and expect to hear from our lawyers.”
December 26th, 2009 at 08:53
Josh, thanks for the mention. Here are some blog posts I’ve written on privacy as well as on the freedom of speech:
December 26th, 2009 at 08:54
Jill,
Thanks for sharing the links!