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The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 9:34:10 AM

Mawine

Posts: 16
Joined: 5/17/2015
Status: offline

Disclaimer: I am aware that this post might seem like me trying to justify my own profile's vagueness. That doesn't mean I'm not looking for genuine opinions or suggestions.

I work for a company that has a very strong 'social media & internet presence' policy. HR do full searches for photos of drunken nights out and the like before hiring people. Now for me that's not a problem. I don't heavily use facebook or twitter and frankly even if I did, I'm the quiet drink at home with friends type rather than the go out clubbing type so those types of pictures don't tend to appear anyway.

Sadly, a colleague of mine was recently given a warning for certain posts on his blog. The posts were along the lines of political commentary and the warning, so he tells me, was along the lines of he was just at the line. Much further and he crosses it. The company we work for is a publicly funded concern, so there is the issue that the company is not allowed to be seen to get involved in any way with politics.

Now my own concern is not huge. My internet footprint is pretty small. I'm savvy enough that I have different usernames for all my profiles on various websites, I tend to keep personal photos private, and I tend to go by my middle name when actually chatting with people I don't know online. I also do a web search on myself to keep an eye on how my internet footprint is and if there's anything I need to be aware of. I'm in IT after all, plus a little paranoid.

The problem I have though, is that I imagine given that this site is set up more like a dating site keeping information hidden isn't conducive to opening out discussion with people, or meeting and chatting with people online. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to share photos or video chat with people early enough on to 'prove' I'm a real person.

So, do people think I'm making more problems for myself? Is being afraid of losing the one steady client I have justified? Has anyone come across the difficult end of 'corporate identity'? Should I perhaps find a spine and talk to this company even at risk of losing the contract?

In short, does anyone else have any advice?

Post #: 1

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 9:44:27 AM

Lucylastic

Posts: 40310
Status: offline

Its a huge problem for a lot of people.
Personally for me it isnt an issue, as A. I work for myself, and B. Im out as kinky to family and friends. I have been using the same name for 20 years. But even with all that I dont post pics of myself here. specifically because there are some ugly people around who think its fun to out you. Stalk you. Threaten you.
SO I dont blame you for trying to protect your job.
As to actual privacy/security/ online, I dont believe its possible unless you want to go off the grid.
The big problem is societies frowning on sex in any of its forms, moral turpitude has been around for a long time.
It sucks, and until it disappears, you do what you have to to protect your livelihood.
Of course lying has its own hazards

_____________________________

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\(•_•)
( (> A NASTY
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(•_•)
<) )> WOMAN
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Duchess Of Dissent
Dont Hate Love

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 2

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 10:06:40 AM

Mawine

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Joined: 5/17/2015
Status: offline

I appreciate that thanks.

I do work for myself as well, but I am a regular freelancer for a community group, so am bound by their regulations when working for them. I could find other work, but they provide me with two days of work a week. They are my biggest client by far and a way.,

As to security online, I'd argue it is possible, it just take a LOT of work. Here in the UK colleagues of mine working for the NHS don't use their surnames on facebook and the like (which if Zukerburg gets his way will be an issue) as a basic step. Again using different usernames disperses your profiles so that it takes more than a routine HR search to put the pieces together and construct a profile of someone. I'm not saying it's not possible just more difficult, someone with the knowhow could find out my name and what degree I hold. It'll just take them a while without more information than found on the profile here.

I must admit though, I'm not comfortable with the term 'lying'. I have not and do not lie. Yes, it's true I use my middle name when opening conversations with people I don't know. How is that different from a william calling themselves 'bill' or 'liam'? It is the name I choose to go by in personal life is all.

(in reply to Lucylastic)

Post #: 3

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 10:37:20 AM

Lucylastic

Posts: 40310
Status: offline

I Didnt mean to imply you were lying at all, Im sorry if you got that impression.
Ive been Lucy to my kids, my hubby, my sisters, and most of my friends in the past 20 years.
I totally get the need for discretion tho.
I used to have a BDSM store, sex toys and floggers, paddles, the whole nine yards. I was begged NOT to send out boxes with identifying marks, now I sell corsets and am written to by huge numbers of cross dressers, transvestites and transexuals wondering if I can send them a corset " discreetly" I get it...
And have never imagined wanting to out anyone for wanting to have a sex life/be a sexual being.

Others tho. not so..understanding.

_____________________________

(•_•)
<) )╯SUCH
/ \

\(•_•)
( (> A NASTY
/ \

(•_•)
<) )> WOMAN
/ \

Duchess Of Dissent
Dont Hate Love

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 4

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 11:22:45 AM

DesFIP

Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline

I think most people you talk to here will also be using their screen name. So that isn't an issue.

As far as when to disclose real info? You decide that for yourself. However, this is one reason we suggest not to chat for months but to meet for coffee relatively quickly. You don't hand out any of that info until after you've met them and are sure you want to see them again.

Mostly, you won't be compatible so you don't have to give out your info. It makes no sense to give out that info if you're not interested in a second date.

Go to a munch and most people give out their screen name. Some people will add a real name as well but many don't. Doesn't matter if anyone else goes back and posts in Positive Experience that they had a lovely time talking to Mawine because that name isn't on your facebook or twitter account.

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(in reply to Lucylastic)

Post #: 5

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 12:54:45 PM

Mawine

Posts: 16
Joined: 5/17/2015
Status: offline

Thanks for the thoughts. I must admit, it has also been my experience that at munches people use screen or nick names. Sadly, I haven't yet gone to the Liverpool ones...it's on my to do list, but since I moved over to Liverpool I've not had the time.

Here's a thought though. Should we be allowing 'corporate identity' to be having a say in our day to day lives. I mean friends I went to university with years ago were stunned when I told them that the fast food chain I worked for didn't employ people with tattoos or wild hair colours. I dare say things have changed slightly, but do people really believe that the views of an individual are representative of the company they happen to work for?

(in reply to DesFIP)

Post #: 6

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 1:28:23 PM

sweetieDA

Posts: 129
Joined: 4/3/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mawine
...keeping information hidden isn't conducive to opening out discussion with people, or meeting and chatting with people online.

I have a zero tolerance policy for people who ask unnecessary questions when getting to know each other. I don't talk about my job online and I don't share face pics until I've established whether we're compatible.

Did I get people reacting badly to my boundaries? Yes, but they can go fuck themselves. s&m is illegal, if you're not looking out for your own interests, then who is?

Establish rules and stick to them. Anyone who pushes you is not worth getting to know anyway.

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 7

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 3:08:45 PM

HAK1M

Posts: 172
Joined: 11/2/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Lucylastic

Its a huge problem for a lot of people.
Personally for me it isnt an issue, as A. I work for myself, and B. Im out as kinky to family and friends. I have been using the same name for 20 years. But even with all that I dont post pics of myself here. specifically because there are some ugly people around who think its fun to out you. Stalk you. Threaten you.
SO I dont blame you for trying to protect your job.
As to actual privacy/security/ online, I dont believe its possible unless you want to go off the grid.
The big problem is societies frowning on sex in any of its forms, moral turpitude has been around for a long time.
It sucks, and until it disappears, you do what you have to to protect your livelihood.
Of course lying has its own hazards

malarkey.....( in my infallible opinon )

< Message edited by HAK1M -- 11/13/2015 3:10:54 PM >

(in reply to Lucylastic)

Post #: 8

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/13/2015 7:27:05 PM

DesFIP

Posts: 25191
Joined: 11/25/2007
From: Apple County NY
Status: offline

Re should corporate culture have a say in our lives? It's a moot point. It does.
The corporate identity costs a lot to establish and could be easily ruined by one bad association.

Look at the flack at Subway when their 20 year spokesman was found out to be a child molester.
Or Penn State when that happened there. Millions in endowment lost which will impact them for decades.

People vote with their feet, they buy from establishments that have good associations, not bad. Since a corporation is established to turn a profit, they will fire anyone who threatens their existence.

At the same time, you should look for a job where you believe in what they do, where you share the culture's ethics. If you want to work at Brooks Brothers selling menswear, then dreads and tats are the wrong thing. It will drive away clients and lessen your sales. If the dreads and body mods are more important, then sell skater wear where clients will be fine with it. Both you and the employer need to decide that you're a good match.

_____________________________

Slave to laundry

Cynical and proud of it!

(in reply to HAK1M)

Post #: 9

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/14/2015 4:33:29 AM

LadyConstanze

Posts: 9722
Joined: 2/18/2005
Status: offline

Fast Reply

I work in a field that deals a lot with social media, you do not want to raise red flags by not having the internet footprint that is expected.

My suggestion would be to have a FB account that is very mundane, harmless stuff like cute pics, family outings, films you like, nothing controversial, update it every other week or so, so it isn't dormant.

They look, they find something... Then have another one where you don't use your real name and you set it to absolutely private.

It's a matter of covering your tracks and using different email addresses. However if they run a search on you and don't get anything, they might look deeper and deeper, if you give them something, it's usually fine. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn't put anything online that could cause trouble, even on an alternative profile that you have set to absolutely private, if you have co-workers on it, I'd be careful. There have been a few incidents where people sent screen shots to HR and let them know who is behind it...

As long as you keep the kink strictly separate, I don't think it should be an issue, there is always a possibility but you can minimize the danger by just guarding your back.

_____________________________

There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary
Those who do and those who don't!

http://exdomme.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-service-announcement.html

(in reply to DesFIP)

Post #: 10

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/15/2015 3:40:19 AM

thompsonx

Posts: 23322
Joined: 10/1/2006
Status: offline

ORIGINAL: DesFIP

Re should corporate culture have a say in our lives? It's a moot point. It does.
The corporate identity costs a lot to establish and could be easily ruined by one bad association.

Look at the flack at Subway when their 20 year spokesman was found out to be a child molester.
Or Penn State when that happened there. Millions in endowment lost which will impact them for decades.

People vote with their feet, they buy from establishments that have good associations, not bad. Since a corporation is established to turn a profit, they will fire anyone who threatens their existence.

I do not believe that works well. Consider exxon,bp and vw as classic examples of the corp.being the criminal. No one quit buying gasoline. Vw is still near the top in sales. How is it that the corp can be a internatioinall gangster with no consequences while individuals within the corp. are targeted for non corporate related behaviour? It seems that the particular type of behaviour (sex) is the target. The murder of corp employees does not seem to rise to the same level of disdane.

At the same time, you should look for a job where you believe in what they do, where you share the culture's ethics. If you want to work at Brooks Brothers selling menswear, then dreads and tats are the wrong thing. It will drive away clients and lessen your sales. If the dreads and body mods are more important, then sell skater wear where clients will be fine with it. Both you and the employer need to decide that you're a good match.

While I agree that one should seek employment in an environment that is compatible with both the employee and the employer I would disagree with the brooks bros. analogy since tats and dreads are almost mainstream now. I am over 70 and when I was growing up tats were, in general, a mark of the lower echelons of society...but... Just last week I had an encounter with a police man (reporting a burglary) who had tats from wrist to wrist. He was clearly under thirty. When I questioned him about co. policy re: tats he told me that the department policy had changed quite a bit since his grandfather joined the force and that tats were no longer prohibited.

(in reply to DesFIP)

Post #: 11

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/15/2015 11:56:16 AM

Mawine

Posts: 16
Joined: 5/17/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: LadyConstanze
As long as you keep the kink strictly separate, I don't think it should be an issue, there is always a possibility but you can minimize the danger by just guarding your back.

Which is why I do use Facebook, and twitter and I carefully curate them. As you suggest all of my profiles are separated. With different e-mails and usernames and such. It's why I make sure that this profile for example is as difficult as I can make it to link to those profiles as possible.

(in reply to LadyConstanze)

Post #: 12

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/15/2015 12:05:25 PM

LadyConstanze

Posts: 9722
Joined: 2/18/2005
Status: offline

Different passwords too, I hope, one of the most common mistake is people signing into the wrong account and posting something too personal...

_____________________________

There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary
Those who do and those who don't!

http://exdomme.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-service-announcement.html

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 13

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/17/2015 1:23:21 AM

Mercurinomicon

Posts: 7
Joined: 8/5/2015
Status: offline

I own my own business, and very much like my personal life to stay personal, so I don't post pictures of my face, or use my legal name in accordance with my "other" pursuits and past times.

(in reply to Lucylastic)

Post #: 14

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 11/17/2015 2:25:25 AM

littleclip

Posts: 869
Joined: 5/31/2012
Status: offline

im in the army and I do not hide my lifestyle I just don't flaunt it like some do if im asked I explain it and that usually ends the questions like when I was in ga I was asked why I was taking a suitcase with me on fri night I told them it was full of my toys to play in the dungeon. I do know quite a few employers that would terminate anyone who was thought to be in the lifestyle so I understand the caution of some to keep it on the down low

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Post #: 15

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 12/29/2015 10:55:52 AM

DocStrange

Posts: 1076
Joined: 6/10/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mawine

Disclaimer: I am aware that this post might seem like me trying to justify my own profile's vagueness. That doesn't mean I'm not looking for genuine opinions or suggestions.

I work for a company that has a very strong 'social media & internet presence' policy. HR do full searches for photos of drunken nights out and the like before hiring people. Now for me that's not a problem. I don't heavily use facebook or twitter and frankly even if I did, I'm the quiet drink at home with friends type rather than the go out clubbing type so those types of pictures don't tend to appear anyway.

Sadly, a colleague of mine was recently given a warning for certain posts on his blog. The posts were along the lines of political commentary and the warning, so he tells me, was along the lines of he was just at the line. Much further and he crosses it. The company we work for is a publicly funded concern, so there is the issue that the company is not allowed to be seen to get involved in any way with politics.

Now my own concern is not huge. My internet footprint is pretty small. I'm savvy enough that I have different usernames for all my profiles on various websites, I tend to keep personal photos private, and I tend to go by my middle name when actually chatting with people I don't know online. I also do a web search on myself to keep an eye on how my internet footprint is and if there's anything I need to be aware of. I'm in IT after all, plus a little paranoid.

The problem I have though, is that I imagine given that this site is set up more like a dating site keeping information hidden isn't conducive to opening out discussion with people, or meeting and chatting with people online. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to share photos or video chat with people early enough on to 'prove' I'm a real person.

So, do people think I'm making more problems for myself? Is being afraid of losing the one steady client I have justified? Has anyone come across the difficult end of 'corporate identity'? Should I perhaps find a spine and talk to this company even at risk of losing the contract?

In short, does anyone else have any advice?

Many people have this same dilemma and do not post a profile pic. Technology is making it so easy for companies to search for photos that may show "their" employee doing something that violates the company's "code of conduct" policy. This can range from showing up drunk on social media to making politically incorrect remarks to being into BDSM. I simply cannot afford to loose 20 years of service into company. Lose full medical and dental retirement benefits. It is not worth the risk.

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 16

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 12/29/2015 1:28:12 PM

WickedsDesire

Posts: 9362
Joined: 11/4/2015
Status: offline

Perhaps you and your friend could look out the pitchforks and gather a few of similar mind and flaming torches before I tar and feather thee.

Most people on these places do not post profile pictures because they are at it, or their partners would divorce them..so I will dispense with such slobbering nonsense such as docstrange mad ramblings of zilcho substance.

I have no foot print on fb or twitter so I will dispense with more droolings such as ladyc (yes i still fancy thee) those sites are pointless
I work in a field that deals a lot with social media, you do not want to raise red flags by not having the internet footprint that is expected.

Op has a picture up Nods…accepted, I have no need to delve with this one.

Face pictures is another matter but easily accomplished.

Thus, easily, nullifying those with nothing up easily

Profile text exactly the same – unless your CV says I like my balls getting trampled on - not quite applicable to job application are they, unless thee are a politician *allegedly*

(in reply to DocStrange)

Post #: 17

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 12/29/2015 1:54:12 PM

DocStrange

Posts: 1076
Joined: 6/10/2015
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire

Perhaps you and your friend could look out the pitchforks and gather a few of similar mind and flaming torches before I tar and feather thee.

To which friend are you referring to? Mine post was singular.

quote:

ORIGINAL: WickedsDesire
Most people on these places do not post profile pictures because they are at it, or their partners would divorce them..so I will dispense with such slobbering nonsense such as docstrange mad ramblings of zilcho substance.

The original question was about corporate identity. Not why most people do not post a profile pic. There are many people who are not going to compromise their job, their source of income, their retirement benefits over the want of people on a BDSM website to have a profile pic. All the more power to you if you are in a position that a profile pic is not going to impact the possibility of losing your job. But if you work for lets say a children's toy company, that company does not want their employees photos showing up on a BDSM website. Companies can and do use photo recognition software to do automated searches on social media websites for the purpose of protecting the company image.

(in reply to WickedsDesire)

Post #: 18

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 12/29/2015 1:55:34 PM

LadyConstanze

Posts: 9722
Joined: 2/18/2005
Status: offline

You can have a picture that doesn't show your face, a mask, a hat that shadows your face. etc.

_____________________________

There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary
Those who do and those who don't!

http://exdomme.blogspot.com/2012/07/public-service-announcement.html

(in reply to DocStrange)

Post #: 19

RE: The Problem of 'corporate identity' - 12/29/2015 3:06:47 PM

tj444

Posts: 7574
Joined: 3/7/2010
Status: offline

I dont know about the UK but its a lot harder in the US.. you can get fired for anything (or no reason at all), no notice or fuck all.. There is no law even giving you one holiday off if they want to work yer arse to death.. In other countries employees have more rights and cant be fired without just cause.. The US sucks big time if you are an employee (or not rich), it great for immoral greedy corps & their greedy shareholders tho.. They get away with shite here they cant get away with in some other countries..

And Americans wonder why I will never become an American citizen..

_____________________________

As Anderson Cooper said “If he (Trump) took a dump on his desk, you would defend it”

(in reply to Mawine)

Post #: 20

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