Need to protect your project reputation? Here at Ten Six we blog. We also have an email newsletter and we’re on facebook and Twitter. We appreciate that these channels give us the opportunity to interact more effectively with customers and people. People who are interested in enterprise project management system implementations and earned value management. But while operating in the online space has many advantages, there is also a small chance that you could find yourself in hot water.
With more and more project managers and PMO staff taking to the internet to write about their projects and professional lives, or to share experiences through forums like LinkedIn, you never know who is going to be listening. We don’t know of any projects that have been stopped because information about them was leaked on social media sites, but there are plenty of examples of people losing their jobs because of things they have written online. There’s even a word for it: dooced.
In 2002, web designer Heather Armstrong, lost her job in Los Angeles because her employer decided that what she had written on her blog was inappropriate. Her blog was (and still is) called Dooce, and a new word made it into the vocabulary of the internet community. Today, Armstrong makes a living from her writing. But not everyone is lucky or smart enough to be able to turn being fired into a new career opportunity.
Keeping your project safe
Here are our tips for protecting your project information online.
- Read your company’s policy on confidentiality. Make sure that everyone on the project team understands what they can and cannot share outside the confines of the company. That goes for third party partners too.
- Get suppliers to sign confidentiality agreements. It’s unlikely that a supplier would jeopardize their relationship with you by posting information about your project or company online, but it never hurts to be safe. We have no problems signing confidentiality agreements if that’s what our clients want, and neither should any other reputable company.
- Be careful if you publish photos. What might seem like photos of a fun project team night out could seem to someone else as invading their privacy. Don’t upset your project team by publishing images without their permission.
- However low the readership figures of your personal blog, or however few people respond to your LinkedIn question, remember that the internet is a very big and very public place. Asking for help on a project may seem like a great idea, especially when people online are often very willing to help you resolve issues. Just remember to phrase the question in a way that doesn’t give away anything confidential about your project or team members.
- Watch what other people are saying. Keep an eye out for what other people are saying about your project or company online. This is particularly helpful if you are working on a project in the public eye. Then if anyone comments negatively, you can alert your PR team and move into damage control. One way to do this is to set up Google Alerts for the name of your project or company.
Protecting your own reputation
While you are busy looking out for incidents that made affect the success of your project, don’t forget to look out for yourself as well. Here are some tips for keeping yourself employable.
- Read your company’s social media policy. They probably have one somewhere, but if you can’t find it, talk to the PR team. Make sure you know what you can and cannot say online, and abide by any disclaimers they specify. For example, it’s common to add a disclaimer to personal blogs and other sites to say that your views do not necessarily reflect those of your employer.
- Think before you click submit. It might seem obvious, but have you checked to see if your comment, forum posting, tweet or similar makes you sound the most professional possible? If you read it back and the tone isn’t clear, don’t click submit. Rewrite, or don’t comment at all.
- Keep work profiles and personal profiles separate. You can keep one account for your family and friends and another for work colleagues. Don’t feel that you have to merge work and your personal life if you are not comfortable doing so.
- Don’t blog, tweet or comment if you are tired, cross with someone or just not thinking straight. Move away from the keyboard and leave it until another day.
Things stay online for a long time, so make sure that the footprints you leave are the ones that you will be proud to share with your future employers. An online presence is a must for professional project managers today. You can maintain this without putting your personal credibility or that of your project at risk by following a few simple guidelines.
Now you know where to find us online, why not come over and say hello?