social media policy

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

Please, no more social media policies!

As a Missouri teacher, social media, or more specifically, Facebook, has been the number one topic of the young school year.

(If you don't know what I'm talking about, read this link
Missouri law bans some teacher-student contact on Facebook, other sites – This Just In - CNN.com Blogs

I don't think a policy is necessary, but officials (and EVERYONE for that matter) needs to be educated that somethings shouldn't be posted on Facebook, and as an official, talking about a game you have or are going to officiate with a participant should not be posted! You are simply opening yourself up to trouble.

I admit that I have coaches on my friends list that I occasionally officiate for. Sometimes we confirm dates over Facebook, however I will not comment about the game.

I can't say I'm perfect as I have commited one faux pas and was called on it: I made a status update during halftime of a basketball game I was reffing on my cell phone. When I checked Facebook later that night, I had several comments along the lines of, "Hey, aren't you reffing the game I'm watching right now?"

That is certainly another of those "feel good" laws some knee jerk reactionary thought sounded like a good idea, and that can be easily circumnavigated by standard email, text, or the good old fashioned phone call.

I have often wondered, as a public educator myself, when we became so concerned with students and teachers being able to talk. We never seemed to, historically anyway, be concerned when our kids stayed after school for tutoring or made phone calls to teachers. Why do they think that social media is any more of a bugaboo?