What? What? What? Would you share your Facebook + Email Passwords?

Posted by random olio

I had a different blog post in my head today, and then I read this news article and I just was appalled. My two second recap of this news article is that job seekers are being asked to give their username and password for their Facebook and email accounts so that potential employers can look at their accounts and see if there are any issues they might need to be aware of. Definitely read the full CBS News article here as it gives the full context.

Personally I keep my Facebook profile private to my Facebook friends only. To me it is a conversation between me and those I decide I want to be friends with on Facebook. I have been specific about who I have accepted and who I have not. I do not accept requests from everyone that “Friends” me, although others might. If I specifically made my profile public than it is any potential employer’s decision if they want to google me, or look at my public Facebook profile. If I make it private, then I should not be out of the running for a job because I do not wish the company to invade my personal life.

To me it is an invasion of my privacy and a matter of principle. It is also an invasion of your friend’s privacy (email addresses, contact information, and content). I can assure you, I am not appalled by this because I have something to hide. I am appalled because of principle. As it is, the boundaries between professional and personal lives are narrowing. You can do a bulk of work transactions on your phone, or from home, blurring the lines between your day job and your personal life. Is it too much to ask to have a few places that are sacred for your personal life? Maybe at the office you are a manager with a principled and driven approach to managing your team, yet on Facebook a softer side of you shows with comments regarding friend’s babies. Maybe that is not the side of you, that you want the office to see, so you purposely did not friend folks from work so you could have a life and friends separate from work.

What will be next? Will employers ask for passwords for our checking accounts and our credit cards to see what we purchase? How about our library card accounts to see what we are reading? I have many issues with anyone asking for a password for any account. For one thing, many of us use the same password for multiple accounts, so how is it even legal to ask for this type of private information? Another issue I have, is where is the privacy of our personal lives? Does the potential employer need to know that your good friend just died and your Facebook friends have been consoling you? No. You might have been just trying to keep it together each day as you work through the loss of your friend. Is that the potential employers business? No. Why would it ever be okay for a potential employer to have access to your email account, where you may receive emails from your bank, credit card company, mom, sister, etc.?

Maybe what is needed is not so much focus on social media and job seekers, but for employers to hone the skills of those interviewing to be more savvy with their “reading people” skills to ask the right questions of the job seeker. The interviewer can work to get to know the job seeker as a person sitting in front of them, rather than spending their time focusing on what their friends might post on their Facebook wall. What did employers do before Facebook and Twitter? Has Facebook become such a view into a person, that it overpowers the skills and experience of the job seeker?

Please read today’s CBS article. For more information about legislation in Illinois, here are more details, and in Maryland, here are more details. Both states are working to pass legislation that would bar employers from requesting usernames and passwords to job seeker’s social media profiles. More states should be passing this type of legislation. We deserve more privacy. Job seekers should not be put in a position that they feel awkward and withdraw their application or that they willingly go along with such invasion of privacy because they have mouths to feed at home.

Still appalled in Portland.

UPDATE ON 3/23/2012: Facebook has released comments urging employers not to ask for password s.

First Day of Spring!!

Posted by random olio

It is March 20, 2012, and the FIRST DAY OF SPRING! I am so excited. I cannot wait for days and days of sunshine. The stems of my daffodils are up, as are my snow caps. The leaves are getting bigger and bigger on my hydrangeas, and my hostas and irises are just sticking their heads out of the ground. In the front, the weeping cherry tree has small, light pink buds opening up. And yet, we had snow flurries on Sunday and actual snow just a few miles away yesterday morning. Each time the snow hits, I pray my green budding friends will continue to bloom. I am not much of a green thumb. I tend to kill most indoor plants (my husband keeps them hydrated because I forget). What?! Sound strange? If something does not yell for my attention, I can easily forget about it. Which means quiet plants = no watering. Somehow I have managed to keep the plants in the backyard alive. Although I do not think I can take all the credit. It must be our sprinkler or maybe Chris is really watching over them.

My green budding friends mean that soon I will be able to break out my Chaco flip-flops! I cannot wait. In honor of Spring, here are a few ideas I wanted to share with you. (Click on the image to read quotes more easily).

a few ideas on Spring and renewal...

Enjoy!

Triple C weekend – (Cleaning/Creativity/Cookies)

Posted by random olio

I had a great weekend! Chris and I randomly started cleaning out the garage on Saturday. We purged, took items to Goodwill, organized, found items to sell on eBay, and then headed into the house and thoroughly cleaned. Ah, spring cleaning! It is almost as though spring cleaning should be done spontaneously. We even did all the laundry. It felt great to accomplish so much together. At the end of the night I made Chris’ favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

mmm...chocolate chip cookies

I have been making this recipe for years, but rather than type it up, I also found it recently posted here. My notes on how I alter this recipe: I use 2 cups of chocolate chips. I bake both cookies sheets at the same time and switch which rack they are on at about 6 1/2 to 7 minutes in to the baking time. I also make smaller cookies (use 1 Tablespoon) to form each ball. Mine look chewier (and are chewier) than the picture on the recipe link.

Since we worked so hard on Saturday, Sunday felt laid back, AND while we had moments of snow flurries, what we also had is SUN. Gosh how we Portlanders fill with glee when the sun comes out. It was perfect. For most of the afternoon, my studio had sun. It was bright and I was inspired. So, between yummy brunch and my run, I painted for quite a few hours. I finished a painting and have almost finished another.

newly finished painting...

I will post the other painting once I finish it. Happy Monday! Do something creative today!

50 Posts Already!?

Posted by random olio

Yesterday I posted my 50th blog post. I know for many bloggers out there that is not a huge feat, but for me it is exciting! When I started Random Olio I did not know where I was going with it, but each day I have loved putting my random hodgepodge into the world of ideas over the Internet. When I started I know I would never have imagined writing 50 different blog posts. Yet, I have loved every moment of it. There have been times when I felt: “What is the point of this?” or “Why am I even taking the time to do it?” I would get discouraged, and then I would hear from a blog follower, or a friend that said: “Your blog made me think about this idea differently. Thank you for continuing to write.” Those little comments encouraged me to keep going. Often we will be out and about in town, or I will be on the treadmill, or in the shower (where I do my best thinking), and an idea will come to me. I will pause the treadmill, or finish my shower, or send myself an email and come and write for a bit. Just enough to get the idea down and out of my head, then I come back later to expand on the idea.

So, thank you for everyone that has continued to read Random Olio over the last 1-50 posts. I am grateful to you! Feel free to post your comments and feedback anytime. I love hearing from you!

Since it is also Friday, I wanted to share a little fun with you. I watch Ellen and I think her “Dance Dare” is a hoot. Have fun watching her introduction video here:

Enjoy and happy Friday!

Do you know how to PLAY?

Posted by random olio

Last week, I had lunch with a friend and the topic of “play” came up in our conversation. It is one that always interests me. I am one that much of the time is led to do the responsible thing and NOT play, rather than to play and realize that the responsible item on the list really did not need to be done, or at least that it could be done later. What develops in us as we grow up that makes it harder for some of us to play, while it is easier for others? What does “play” mean to you? I find that I am my most playful self when I am around young children, especially if there is laughter, make believe, hide and seek, tickles, etc. I usually forget the surroundings I am in and jump in and play with glee. Does “play” for you mean you are just relaxing? What would it look like to let go and dance, sing, and laugh hard (you know when tears start spouting from your eyes)? Is that a normal everyday occurrence or does it come out as often as I cook (ever so rarely, mostly when my husband is traveling).

Is play for you climbing, running, biking, baking, cooking, organizing? Or are all those things work? Is play when we are in the “now” and when we are in the zone? That is a hard one for me to answer. You can be at work, loving the project you are working on, and in the zone, but does that mean it is play? Playing games, Wii, the batting cages, bowling, and skee ball are just a few forms of “play” for me.

I love this blog post from Nathan. It is a good reminder for all of us. Nathan, I hope you are doing well after your car was hit. Keep letting your daughter pull you away from work.