If you were hiring a teacher or university lecturer, would you appoint someone who had posted these tweets?
I didn't think so.
But the British Prime Minister had appointed Toby Young to serve on the new regulatory body for universities, the Office for Students.
Young proceeded to attempt to reinvent himself through the deletion of several thousand tweets, but that totally missed the point. These tweets, and the many others like them, point to a lack of judgement and respect for others which renders him completely unsuitable for an office of this nature.
Ultimately, Young realized that and resigned.
But here's the take-away from the fiasco.
I keep telling my students that anyone posting anything anywhere on t'interweb needs to learn this dead simple lesson: Think before you post. Think about what you're writing, and all the people who might get to read it. Your mom. Your son. Your boss. Your potential future boss. Assume that anything you post will be available for ever. If you don't want something you write now turning up 20 years from now, don't post it.
Because it just might. Ask Toby Young.
But the British Prime Minister had appointed Toby Young to serve on the new regulatory body for universities, the Office for Students.
Young proceeded to attempt to reinvent himself through the deletion of several thousand tweets, but that totally missed the point. These tweets, and the many others like them, point to a lack of judgement and respect for others which renders him completely unsuitable for an office of this nature.
Ultimately, Young realized that and resigned.
But here's the take-away from the fiasco.
I keep telling my students that anyone posting anything anywhere on t'interweb needs to learn this dead simple lesson: Think before you post. Think about what you're writing, and all the people who might get to read it. Your mom. Your son. Your boss. Your potential future boss. Assume that anything you post will be available for ever. If you don't want something you write now turning up 20 years from now, don't post it.
Because it just might. Ask Toby Young.