The document outlines guidelines for students to engage in an academic discussion on social media's impact on company reputation and employee behavior. It emphasizes the importance of careful posting due to potential risks like HIPAA violations and negative public perception, citing examples of social media's dual role as a marketing tool and a risk factor for businesses. Furthermore, it encourages using research and personal experiences to analyze the topic while adhering to peer interaction requirements.

1. Your initial post should be
2-3 paragraphs
in length.
Include one peer reviewed journal article to support your post.
You can search for a journal article from Welder Library
EResources. (Ex: Risk of social media or social media polices,
etc.).
Your
initial post is due by Thursday
. This allows you and your classmates time to read and reply.
Make sure to demonstrate critical thinking and analysis by using
research and personal work experiences.
For full credit, you are required to
respond
to a minimum of two classmates
. Please begin your reply by addressing the student by name.
Your
responses
must be completed by Sunday at midnight
.
Please refer to the rubric for the grading requirements. You can
view the rubric by clicking on the wheel in the upper right
corner and selecting "show rubric."
Scott Lefor,
The release of information to the public – including through
social media – can impact everything from a company’s image

2. before the public to an individual’s image before a company.
Jackson et al. (2020) note that while “strategic HR use of social
media can build the employer’s reputation in the labor market
and help HR professionals to reach candidates and current
employees,” the use of social media can also “lead to the
disclosure of trade secrets” or present a negative image of the
company (p. 21). While companies place substantial hours and
dollars into cultivating a favorable brand image before the
public, a careless comment or complaint by an employee or
contractor on social media can go viral and counteract such
marketing efforts. In such cases, companies may find
themselves forced to address such comments or complaints
before the public in an attempt to save the brand image they
have worked so hard to build.
In addition to impacting the image of a company, careless social
media posts can also impact potential and current employees
before the company. According to Melton and Miller (2015),
while “most students appear to know that the content they post”
on social media could be viewed negatively by “potential
employers,” many students continue to do so (p. 678). Through
social media, what would have been a careless comment if
spoken aloud becomes a permanent statement viewable by
countless individuals. Furthermore, comments and images
referencing illegal activities or poor decision-making and
communicating abilities become enshrined for potential and
current employers to reference and base hiring and firing
decisions upon.
It is worth noting that careless comments via social media can
go beyond “negative,” and can sometimes involve trade secrets
(as noted). While negative comments can cast a shadow over a
company’s brand, comments revealing trade secrets can
jeopardize long-term strategies, losing hard-won competitive
edges. As referenced above, Melton and Miller (2015) assert
that even though individuals know of such risks, many continue

3. to post comments that can be understood to be “careless.”
In short, information released to the public – whether negative
or revelatory of trade secrets – can force a company’s hand,
forcing them to attempt to save their brand image or to respond
rapidly to the sudden loss of a competitive edge.
References:
Jackson, J. H., Mathis, R. L., Meglich, P. A., & Valentine, S. R.
(2020).
Human resource management
(13th ed.). Cengage.
Miller, R., & Melton, J. (2015). College students and risk-
taking behaviour on Twitter versus Facebook.
Behaviour & Information Technology, 34
(7), 678–684. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.umary.edu/10.1080/0144929X.2014.1003325
Sarah Beane,
Social media is defined as “online communities where users
create and share content and participate in networking”
(Valentine, Meglich, Mathis, & Jackson, 2020). As Valentine,
et al., (2020) states, HR can use social media as a great
marketing tool, with reaching potential candidates. Social
media can also be used for a business in general, getting the
word out to the public about changes at a facility or responding
to negative publicity. Social media can also be a source of risk
for a business, forcing some companies to create social media
policies (Valentine, et al, 2020). Healthcare fields face several
risks in regards to social media, they include HIPAA violations,
violation of the employee standards for communication, and
damage to the organization's public image (Veazie, 2019).

4. As a manager in a small rural hospital, I can give an example of
all three risks listed above, however, I will just focus on
HIPPA. One of my employees, recently took what she thought
was an innocent, picture of herself and a friend, a flight nurse
who had just arrived in our ED to pick up a patient. What the
employee failed to do while taking the photo, was cover that
babies face in the background. The result was after she posted
the picture, someone in the organization reported her to risk
management. Although the family did not care about the photo
on Facebook, our hospital viewed this as a major HIPPA
violation. All it would take is one person to read the newspaper
on the right day, read a story about the baby in the ER, and put
two and two together. Ultimately she had a day of suspension
without pay and became an employee in bad standing for
violating the hospital's HIPPA policy.
While social media can be used in ways to damage an
organization's public image, it can also be used to engage the
community. As a facility, we have chosen to use Facebook as a
way, to reach the public about all things COVID-19, either what
is happening at the hospital or what is occurring countywide.
For example, when COVID started, we made a policy limiting
visitors and requiring masks to enter the facility. With the use
of social media, we were able to get the message out, not only
did we use our account, but we also post on different
community groups. At the same time, the public was able to ask
questions and voice concerns that as an organization was able to
respond to in real-time. Although some comments were
negative, we were able to respond quickly and put the
community at ease. Recently we chose to start posting positions
on Facebook. I’m not sure what took us so long, but within a
matter of days, we had multiple applicants. Overall releasing
information to the public is always a risk, if a company stays
alert, it can help positively guide decisions.

5. Reference:
Valentine, S., Meglich, P., Mathis, R., & Jackson, J. (2020).
Human Resource Management
(16 ed.). Cengage.
Veazie, J. C. (2019). Work Place Conflict & Social Media.
Health Care Collector
, 3-6.