In today’s Quick Hits, we have two different stories of people who were fired over their online comments plus insights from Facebook on the FTC’s privacy proposals.

–

Massachusetts Firefighter Fired Over Facebook Comments

After a thorough investigation into allegedly improper Facebook comments, city officials in Bourne, Massachusetts, have decided to fire a 16-year veteran firefighter. According to the city’s investigation, the firefighter “reportedly used a homosexual slur,” and “wrote of his anger at having to work on July 4, 2010″ among other incidents.

The firefighter’s union has said it will back the man if he decides to sue the city over his termination. Recently, a Connecticut ambulance company employee successfully sued her employer over her Facebook-related termination. The precedent set in that case will likely play a role in the firefighter’s decision to sue the city.

Facebook Bans Relationship Status Tracking App

A new Facebook app, which allowed users to track relationship statuses on the site, has come down almost as quickly as it went up. According to MSNBC, Facebook banned the app, called Breakup Notifier, because it was too popular. Apparently, Facebook took down the app out of fears that it was spammy. The creator of the app has been unable to get in touch with anyone at Facebook to offer more details.

Indiana Deputy Attorney General Fired Over Twitter Comments

American political discourse is often littered with inflammatory comments and overly tough rhetoric, but one Indiana official may have taken things too far when he used his Twitter account to call for “live ammunition” to be used on protesters in Wisconsin. According to MSNBC, the official, who worked as a deputy attorney general for the state, was uncovered as the Twitter user after Mother Jones magazine investigated the messages and his related blog posts. After reviewing the comments, an Indiana spokesman announced that the attorney no longer held his position and that, while they “respect individuals’ First Amendment right to express their personal views on private online forums,” public servants are “held by the public to a higher standard, and we should strive for civility.”

Facebook Responds to FTC Privacy Plans

Facebook joined hundreds of other tech companies in filing an official response to the FTC’s recent consumer privacy proposals. This article from the Huffington Post gives an overview of Facebook’s response, noting that the company’s position values self-regulation among Internet companies and recommends that the FTC should take into account “evolving perceptions of privacy” among consumers. For a company that has been in the spotlight on privacy issues since its inception, this 29 page filing is perhaps the best and most clear explanation of where Facebook stands on privacy. For the record, Reputation.com’s response to the FTC report can be found on the Reputation.com Blog.

Swiss Court to Rule on Google Street View Soon

According to the Wall Street Journal, “Switzerland’s top administrative court said it will rule on whether Google Inc.’s (GOOG) map service is legal in Switzerland in coming weeks, following a public hearing in court Thursday.” Privacy concerns over Google’s Street View service have been especially prominent in Europe, where a number of countries launched high-profile investigations into Google after it was revealed that the company collected Wi-Fi payload data via its Street View cars.

In today’s Quick Hits, a bogus rumor claims Facebook is shutting down, a New York Times piece talks about Facebook’s growth problems in Japan, and a judge vindicates several nursing students who were kicked out of school over photos of a human placenta.

–

Viral Hoax Claims Facebook is Closing Down

Inexplicably, a hoax claiming that Facebook will close down on March 15th has exploded across the web in the past few days. Considering the fact that Facebook is the world’s largest social networking website and the company recently took on $500 million in additional funding from Goldman Sachs, it’s pretty hard to see why anyone believed this rumor to be true. On the other hand, the fact that such an obviously bogus hoax spread so easily reveals that people don’t always closely consider what they read online.

Judge Orders Nursing Student Reinstated After Being Kicked Out of School for Placenta Photo

We finally have closure in the bizarre case of the nursing student who was dismissed from school for sharing a photo posing next to a placenta. After filing a lawsuit against her school alleging that she was not given a proper hearing before being dismissed, the student argued her case in court. A judge agreed with her, offering a level-headed ruling that is admirable given the strange nature of the case, and ordered the school to reinstate all of the students.

Unfortunately, while the young woman does get to go back to school, she now has to deal with the permanent reputation stain of being involved in the placenta incident. In court, she told the judge, “All you have to do is Google ‘placenta,’” to find her name online. That online reputation problem could cause some difficulties for her later when she actually applies to become a nurse.

Facebook Unsuccessful in Japan

Japan is one of the world’s most populous and tech-savvy nations, but that hasn’t helped Facebook gain a foothold in the country’s social networking market. According to a recent New York Times article, Facebook has less than 2 million users in Japan, a drop in the bucket compared to the site’s 583 million total users worldwide. Why is this the case? Privacy. In Japan, personal privacy, particularly online, is very important. As the New York Times explains, the most successful Japanese social networking websites “let members mask their identities, in distinct contrast to the real-name, oversharing hypothetical user on which Facebook’s business model is based.” In order to make an indent in Japan, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg may have to reconsider his “privacy is no longer a social norm” approach.

In today’s first post-Thanksgiving Quick Hits, we talk about surviving the company Christmas party, whether Diaspora has a shot at competing with Facebook, and the possibility of a “Do Not Track” bill in Congress.

–

Surviving the Company Holiday Party with Your Reputation Intact  

From drinking too much to fooling around in the copy room, this article from MSNBC discusses some of the many ways employees can ruin their reputations in the workplace at the annual company holiday party. What the article doesn’t mention is how indiscretions at the holiday party can wind up online and further damage your good name with friends, family, and future employers as well.

Employee Suspended for Bragging About Upcoming Layoff

If you hate your job, getting fired and receiving a severance package may seem like a blessing. But that doesn’t mean you should brag about it online, as one UK worker found out. This article from MSNBC discusses how a bank employee may have cost himself his severance pay by bragging about an upcoming layoff online. The article also offers several other examples of employees who have gotten in trouble because of their online missteps.

First Look at Privacy Social Network Diaspora

When it was first announced, Diaspora received considerable media coverage for being a so-called “privacy aware” social network. Recently, Diaspora opened to a private Alpha test. In this article from Ars Technica, Ryan Paul shares his impressions of Diaspora and speculates as to whether the open source network will ever be able to compete with Facebook.

New Worm Hits Facebook

ZDNet journalist Zack Whittaker talks about a new Facebook worm that has infected thousands of users in a few hours. The worms rely on users to click a shortened link, which then takes them to an unsecured site where their Facebook account is compromised. From that point on, the worm spreads to the infected user’s friends and replicates some more. The prevalence of this worm and others like it raise questions about Facebook’s security as the company continues to grow.

Do Not Track Bill to be Debated in Congress

According to the Washington Post, this Thursday the “House subcommittee on commerce trade and consumer protection will examine the idea of a Do Not Track bill that would prohibit Web sites and third-parties from tracking information about users who choose to participate in such a program.” The list of witnesses at the hearing has not been released yet.

In today’s Quick Hits, we explore shifting trends in social media, offer advice on avoiding clickjacking attacks, and hear from a doctor about the importance of online reputation management for medical professionals.

–

Forrester Study: Decrease in Content Creators on Social Media

A new Forrester Study shows a decrease in the number of people who are content “creators” on social media websites. Creators are social media users who “have a blog, upload videos and music and write articles.” There was also a decrease in the number of “critics,” or users who “who rate and review products, post comments on others’ blogs, participate in discussion forums and collaborate on wikis,” as well as a decrease in the number of “collectors,” or users who “subscribe to syndicated feeds, tag Web pages and photos and in general organize content for the benefit of other users.”

The majority of users in these categories represent early adopters of social media technology who are becoming less active over time. For social media to continue to grow, new social media users, called “joiners” by Forrester, must continue to evolve as users. The number of “joiners” on social media websites increased from 51% to 59%.

New Social Networking Website Namesake Aims to Connect Users with Professional “Opportunities”

Namesake, a new social networking venture that was formally announced at TechCrunch’s Disrupt conference, hopes to become the preferred network for entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals to connect with one another and share job opportunities through mutual social connections. Co-founder Brian Norgard said the site would be “the next evolution” from professional social networking websites like LinkedIn, because it would focus on building out “the expertise graph” of its users.

PCMag: Advice on Avoiding Clickjacking Attacks

Clickjacking has become a popular method for attacking Facebook, because it preys on a user’s instincts for clicking provocative content and it uses their social network to spread the message further. In this informative article, PCMag talks about ways to avoid clickjacking attacks, which can severely tarnish a victim’s reputation.

Twitter Earthquake Hoax Frightens Californians

News spreads fast on Twitter, but so do hoaxes (just ask any of the celebrities who have been pronounced dead on the website). Recently, a hoax spread across Twitter claiming that a massive earthquake was going to strike Southern California. Amazingly, even though earthquakes can’t be predicted with any certainty, people begin retweeting the message hundreds of times over causing a mild panic among some less-discerning Twitter users.

Physicians Have Trouble Fighting Back Against Online Attacks

This well-written article by Dr. David Goldberg talks about the importance of online reputation management for medical professionals and how doctor review websites and social networking websites have become tools for angry patients (or competitors) to launch biased and defamatory attacks against doctors. Dr. Goldberg’s analysis is right on the money and a clear reminder that doctors are some of the people who need proactive online reputation management services the most.

In today’s Quick Hits, we discuss Facebook Places, how it’s impossible to block Mark Zuckerberg, and how a cop and a teacher are in hot water over Facebook.

–

WSJ: Facebook Places Causes New Privacy Concerns

The Wall Street Journal has an update on Facebook privacy concerns in the wake of the company’s new location-based networking feature, Facebook Places. As usual, the issue revolves around the level of control Facebook gives users to manage checking-in to Places. According to the article, “Many privacy groups said they were pleased that Facebook had limited Places to voluntary check-ins–rather than constant real-time tracking of users’ locations–and also that the service set defaults for much of the shared information to be limited to a user’s circle of friends.Still, the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, one of the groups briefed by Facebook about the product before its launch, said Facebook didn’t give users adequate controls.”

Why Do You People “Check-in” to Their Homes?

In a column for the Washington Post, Rob Pergoraro talks about Facebook Places and how he can’t understand why some of his friends who are otherwise aware of privacy issues have decided to publicly share their own homes’ locations. Pergoraro ponders about the purpose of such a check-in and asks his readers what they get out of checking in from home.

You Can’t Block Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook

Facebook has taken great pains to provide easy-to-use privacy controls to its users. So why does the website make it impossible to block Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg? According to a Mashable report, if you attempt to blog Facebook man-in-charge, “you’ll get an error message that says, ‘General Block failed error: Block failed.’” The report speculates that the failure could be “a bug or an intentional inside joke.” In either case, it’s something that Zuckerberg doesn’t need bad publicity over, especially since he’s got a highly-fictionalized major motion picture about his life hitting the big screen soon.

Mass. Trooper Under Investigation Over Facebook Photos

A Massachusetts state trooper is under investigation after three photos appeared on Facebook showing the officer posing with underage women. There is a bottle of alcohol in the background of the picture and the officer is in full uniform, implying that the officer was in the midst of arresting the underage individuals when he agreed to pose for the photos. There is no word yet on whether the officer will be punished for his egregious lapse in professional judgment, but this story is a sober reminder that one’s online reputation is constantly at risk even in “real-life” situations.

School Administrator Fired After Criticizing Parents on Facebook

Additional Facebook foolishness comes our way via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. In an article discussing how social networking can be risky for teachers, the AJC article mentions the story of a 30-year veteran Massachusetts school administrator who was forced to resign last week after posting on her Facebook page that the parents at her school were “‘arrogant” and “snobby” and that she was, “so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset Schools.” The administrator acknowledged her mistake and said, ““I take full responsibility for my stupidity and I hope it serves as an example to kids that they need to be very, very vigilant about their privacy.”