Twitter: How Not to Get Sued, Fired or Both

While Linda debunks rules other than Twitter's standard regulations, you might abide by certain personal guidelines so you don't open yourself to a lawsuit. Additionally, people already have been fired over their Twitter comments. Do you really want to lose everything you own and a job to boot over one 140-character comment? In this article, Linda shows you how you can possibly avoid those problems.

Twitter and Building Relationships

Since I allowed Twitter into my life almost a year ago, I could not imagine conducting my life without it. But, my relationship with Twitter has followed a cycle – I was confused and enamoured with Twitter at first, then I became addicted. But, a break with the family over the holidays helped to wean myself away from that addiction. Now, I have a comfortable relationship with this social media tool, and I'm grateful for the relationships that it's helped me build.

For instance, I don't know of any other format that would allow me to touch base with social media icons such as Guy Kawasaki, Maren Hogan, Chris Brogan and others. Nor would I have met such fine designers and Web personalities such as Nicholas Patten, Jeffrey Zeldman or Jacob Cass. Heck, I even know when Zeldman goes to the ear doctor, if I happen to catch his tweets in my Twitter stream.

While these folks are great to follow and to get to know, I also have developed relationships among other people – seemingly ordinary people who have become heroes in my eyes. These people are good people who are willing to reach out to others, who share their lives so others can feel more comfortable and who help others try to get jobs or even places to live. There are a lot of great people in this world, and I'm happy to know those who use Twitter.

Twitter's Negative Side

But, Twitter also can be a breeding ground for hate issues, psychological problems and stupidity.

Twitter is a natural tool for political use, and – at least in America – the two prominent parties lately don't seem to see things in tandem, ever. Political issues can push people over the edge, even in public and especially on Twitter. Plus, I know at least one person who has started a support group for people who Twitter and who have psychological issues. Finally, the stupid part. Everyone has their "stupid moments," and Twitter is the best platform in the world to showcase that often momentary yet deadly part of anyone's personality.

While some 'stupid' moments often are forgiven by friends, others who do not know you well may see you in a different light. Already, some people have been fired from jobs because of a 'stupid' comment. There has been at least one lawsuit case as well. Here are a few examples of lawsuits and job losses:

·         Courtney Love embroiled in world's first Twitter lawsuit: Courtney Love accused a designer of being a "hosebag thief," generating the first ever lawsuit between Twitter users.

·         Three Strikes Against Tony La Russa's Twitter Lawsuit:  St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sued Twitter over an account created in his name. The lawsuit claims someone created the account and sent out "derogatory" remarks under La Russa's name. La Russa apparently felt the tweets damaged his reputation and caused him "significant emotional distress."

·         How to Tweet Your Way Out of a Job: If you were just hired by Cisco, would you be stupid enough to believe that they don't follow Tweets to pick up any mention of the Cisco name? Obviously one new hire displayed a moment of stupidity when he wrote, "Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work." Yes, he was caught.

·         How Twitter can get you fired in 140 characters or less: This story also covers the Cisco issue, but read further down to learn that Philadelphia Eagles stadium employee/football fan Dan Leone lost his job of six years for this overzealous complaint posted to his own Facebook profile that read: "Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver...Dam Eagles R Retarted!!"

While getting fired over cussing and a misspelled term that is denigrating to disabled people seems a bit over the edge, think about the attitude. This person was part of a team that worked together, and – yes, it's a cliché – but, one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. Disciplinary action was deemed necessary.

And, remember that you may have made connections among your various social media tools. If your Twitter feed is pulled into your Friendfeed or FaceBook account, then you have doubled or tripled the chance of becoming sued or fired. So, you might think about developing some boundaries and guidelines for yourself while using Twitter.