Damages of being bold on social media

I just read the World News on CNN.com and was sad to read this piece: CNN Editor Sacked Over Teary Terrorist Twitter Tribute!
If she, Octavia didn’t explain further to defend herself that the statement she made is not a reflection of how or what she felt over the terrorist life work, I wouldn’t have a clue. But the damage has been done. Whether she likes it or not, she has to step down as CNN does not take her reasoning. Twitter has become a very powerful networking tool. Most influential figures – political or rockstar alike subscribe to a twitter account and they tweet about their daily life, whereabouts etc. Ardent fans who wants to keep up to date on what their super stars have been up to add them to their twitter account and follow them very closely. Octavia is one leader in a sense as she did contribute to the entire world a glimpse into the Middle East series of events. And the one who passed away is not exactly a pro-govt or the nation or US, in fact, he was very much against it.
Now, I don’t know the entire full account of what happened out there but this piece of news is somewhat an eye opener to corporate figures out there. Akin to posting private pictures on Facebook only to be discovered by your boss and senior management, I think Twitter tweets pose similar threats. Personal stands, views and ideas posted on any social networking media needs to be filtered. A few days back, my own corporate communications guideline on dealing with media was released internally and some of the points I came across was rather shocking to me.
Being consultants representing the organization, we are not allowed to speak on behalf of the organization in views relating to the field of expertise. This can either be to a personal friend or a reporter or anyone at all who might quote our names without permission and land us in trouble. Likewise if someone intends to put you into trouble, all they’ll need to do is to hack into your system and type something that totally damages your career and reputation. In this progressive world of media revolution, it doesn’t hurt to be wary of our actions as these speak louder than words.
So the next time you post a remark or update your status – think again… is this remark really necessary? What will the consequences be if your boss reads the comment you’ve just posted? Do you risk losing your job? Pause and think for a moment before you click on the send button!