Recent political scandals serve as a reminder of “the way that technology now pervades everyone’s lives,” said Susan Dominus in The New York Times. Never mind Eliot Spitzer. Detroit’s mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, “managed to forget the depth of his digital footprint” when he sent romantic text messages to a staffer. Carmen Kontur-Gronquist, the mayor of Arlington, Ore., “was voted out of office last month after she left unrestricted lingerie-clad images of herself up on her Myspace page.” In this era of e-mail, texting, blogging, and social networking, “trying to hide one’s digital footprint is practically futile.”
Most people don’t need to worry about re-election, said Liz Wolgemuth in U.S. News & World Report. But improper activities can still cost you a job. Know your employer’s rules for computer use, both in and out of the office. Blogging, even on your own time and with your own computer, may put you at risk for being “dooced”—or fired because of a blog. Consider this advice from Dooce.com founder Heather Armstrong: “Never write about work on the Internet unless your boss knows and sanctions the fact that you are writing about work on the Internet.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Oscar predictions 2025: who will win?In Depth From awards-circuit heavyweights to curve balls, these are the films and actors causing a stir
-
Magical Christmas markets in the Black ForestThe Week Recommends Snow, twinkling lights, glühwein and song: the charm of traditional festive markets in south-west Germany
-
Argos in Cappadocia: a magical hotel befitting its fairytale locationThe Week Recommends Each of the unique rooms are carved out of the ancient caves
