When Facebook Was a No-No

@moffittjc (118219)
Gainesville, Florida
June 11, 2017 8:22am CST
Yesterday I posted about my 8th anniversary on Facebook. But that was just my anniversary for having a personal account. Several members commented that I was late to the party, and that they had been on Facebook for 10 years. Yes, I was late to the party personally, but not entirely late to the party altogether. You see, it was in early 2007 (Facebook become available to the masses in 2006) that I created a Facebook account for my work. As the aquatics director for the city I worked for, I wanted to keep up with the trends and keep my facilities and programs at the forefront of technology. So I created a Facebook page for our aquatics division. Almost immediately, I received backlash from the powers that be. Social media was a new technology in those days, and governmental agencies were behind the curve in keeping up with technology. Our city attorneys were not happy about me creating a social media page at work, because they didn't yet have policies written to deal with such technology. Facebook was a big no-no, and the mere mention of the word was frowned upon. The big issue then was public accessibility and record keeping. You see, here in the Florida, we operate under a law called the Sunshine Law (most states have similar laws). That means everything we do in government is public record. Even our social media accounts. Our attorneys were afraid that we couldn't comply with the Sunshine Law by having a Facebook page. They made me take it down and delete the account until they figured out what to do. Luckily, they were very supportive--yet cautious--in developing policies and guidelines for social media. I worked closely with them to help create policies for managing social media. But it was a slow process, and during this entire time I was frustrated that I couldn't keep our aquatics Facebook page active. But in the end, the attorney approved a social media policy, and we went back live with our Facebook page. Word immediately got out around the state among other municipalities and county governments, and before long I was being asked to speak at conferences and seminars to help other governmental agencies create their own social media accounts. I look back now and laugh, because everybody has Facebook accounts now (in my department alone, we operate 13 different FB accounts), but back then social media was taboo in government. Government is always behind when it comes to technology (if you exclude the military and space program). I wonder what the next big technology trend is that we're going to be left behind in? We went through the same issues with smartphones, tablets, and laptops for governmental employees. Again, it was an issue with public record accessibility. Our state and federal government may not care about public record accessibility, but at the local level we take it very seriously.
26 people like this
23 responses
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
11 Jun 17
You lucked out! When I taught, all staff was told to keep off Facebook. However, nobody listened. We just had to be careful not to post anything related to school, nor photos of the students, which goes without saying.
6 people like this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
I know a lot of teachers that tell me even now they are discouraged from maintaining any social media sties. It is still heavily frowned upon, especially in education. Many of my friends who are teachers have accounts under fake names or pseudonyms so they don't get in trouble with their employer.
3 people like this
@DianneN (246452)
• United States
12 Jun 17
@moffittjc Some of my friends do, too, but to me, being on Facebook is my right. Who are they to tell me what I can and can not do in my free time? I just took care what I posted.
2 people like this
12 Jun 17
@moffittjc Ah, that explains why one of my American teacher friends has a pseudonym. Over here we're just told that we can't be friends on social media with students, unless we already know them in a personal capacity outside college. Where I work {mostly with 16-19 year olds, but quite a few mature students too} we're not supposed to add former students until two years after they leave. No idea why. Well, a vague idea why, but given their ages, it does seem a little silly. And it isn't even followed. In some departments a lot of the staff are younger than the students they teach. It's a bit of a murky area.
3 people like this
• United States
11 Jun 17
I don't remember when I got on FB, probably 08 when I started writing online at AC (Associated Content)
3 people like this
• United States
11 Jun 17
@moffittjc You know what they say - monkey see monkey do!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jun 17
@AbbyGreenhill I think that pretty much sums up what happened in 2008. Facebook blew up and became immensely popular, so of course everybody had to join!
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
2008 seems to be the most popular year that everybody joined!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
11 Jun 17
I think I have been on FB about 9 years. I friended an old friend, and immediately, I got a list of his friends to friend me. Most of the same people are on there. I never met them personally, but I feel like I know them at this point!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
I was purposely slow to jump onto Facebook, because it was all the rage and I didn't want to be one of those people who "jump on the bandwagon." But eventually I grew too interested in the site to sit on the sidelines. When other social media sites started popping up, I jumped on them immediately to get ahead of the game (Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Vine, Periscope, etc.).
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
11 Jun 17
Even with my own personal account I'm very careful about what I share. I have a babysitting business so I have to keep things at a professional level, no matter who upsets me!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
Do you have a personal FB page, and a babysitting FB page? I know a lot of people who will have a personal account and a work account.
1 person likes this
• Valdosta, Georgia
11 Jun 17
@moffittjc I do have both but when you look at my personal page you can see my babysitting page as the place I work at. So I keep things professional.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jun 17
@LovingMyBabies Oh, that makes perfect sense!
1 person likes this
@Hate2Iron (15731)
• Canada
11 Jun 17
I remember telling a friend about FB and she swore that it was dangerous... and now she is on every day lol!
2 people like this
@Hate2Iron (15731)
• Canada
25 Jun 17
@Lupita234 pretty much lol!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jun 17
I will admit, Facebook can be addictive!
@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
11 Jun 17
I have a personal account for many years, but I do not remember when I opened the account. I share nothing and I use the account only to keep in touch with some cousins who live in Italy.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (454979)
• Switzerland
11 Jun 17
@moffittjc I post almost nothing, a few photos, but never personal.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
I am like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to Facebook. On my personal account, I hardly ever post anything, but on the three pages I manage at work, I post about a dozen or so times a day.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
@LadyDuck I know that many people are very cautious about what they post on social media, and for good reason, but I decided a long time ago that I don't really care about what I post and who sees it. Trust me, I've gotten in trouble several times at work for photos or comments I made on social media. And every time I get in trouble, I tell them I am going to hire an attorney because they are infringing on my First Amendment rights (freedom of speech). It quiets them down every time! haha
1 person likes this
• United States
11 Jun 17
Our agency took a while to get on social media. We are not allowed to discuss much of what we do though. They do talk about how they serve the community. They frown upon us being friends with anyone we serve.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
12 Jun 17
Yeah, they frown upon us friending citizens too, although we all do it on occasion.
1 person likes this
@marlina (154183)
• Canada
11 Jun 17
I only have a small account on FB and haven't used it for a long time. Got tired of it.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64363)
• United Kingdom
13 Jun 17
That's very interesting, I'd no idea that there could have been issues like this with FB.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64363)
• United Kingdom
14 Jun 17
@moffittjc It's a bit of a frightening thought that everything we do online is there forever!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
15 Jun 17
@jaboUK I've learned to just accept it, and not let the thought of all my personal data being online haunt me. It is what it is. At least I have comfort in knowing that 7 billion other people also have their data archived online forever, so there's at least comfort in knowing I'm not alone. Or as I like to joke, maybe somebody will steal my identify and make something out of my life. Like maybe a doctor or lawyer! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
14 Jun 17
One of the big issues was being able to provide transcripts from any comments or messages received on our government Facebook page. Since everything we do is public record, our attorneys wanted to make sure we could provide the information if any member of the public ever requested it. The other issue was archiving content. We are required by law to maintain records for 7 years, so our legal team also wanted to make sure we had a way of storing those electronic files for the 7 year period. But of course, they now realize that nothing you do online every really goes away! haha
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
3 Aug 17
So hard to believe it caused such a ruckus. You were a pioneer @moffittjc . I am happy that with your assistance they finally caught up with the times.
1 person likes this
@bluesa (15023)
• Johannesburg, South Africa
7 Aug 17
@moffittjc , Lol, good you don't binge too often anymore. I am on Facebook but I only go on to wish family members in England and Australia happy birthday or for certain celebrations, otherwise I don't really bother with social media. I am a bit of a dinosaur when it comes social media
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Aug 17
@bluesa I had considered myself pretty cutting edge when it came to social media, and I have accounts with just about every social media site you can imagine. For several years I was pretty active on all those sties, and then slowly realized that it was sucking the life out of me. I was spending too much time on all those sites, and so I slowly weaned myself off of social media. I rarely go on social media sites anymore, except to contact an occasional friend or family member.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
5 Aug 17
Are you on Facebook or other social media sites? In past years I would spend countless hours on social media, but these days I just check in every now and then to keep from getting too far behind on my notifications. I use Facebook a lot at work, but not really much in my personal time. Every now and then I'll go on a social media binge, but i'm not as bad as I used to be! haha
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
20 Jun 17
its just mind blowing how much our lives have changed just because of the computer. I know it was around for years before we got our own home computers, it just awes me.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
21 Jun 17
What I find interesting is just how fast technology changes. We take our smartphones for granted, but smartphone technology has been around for less than a decade. Most of the technology in our smartphones and laptops today wasn't even around 5 years ago. Can you imagine what computing power we'll have in our hands just 5 years from now?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jun 17
@PainsOnSlate I love reading the newspaper as well, although by the time I get it each day I pretty much already know all the news stories already (from having seen it online). But usually I just quickly peruse the online news stories, and then read about it in more detail when I get my newspaper.
1 person likes this
• Canada
21 Jun 17
@moffittjc I am awed with everything that is going on. Just the fact we can get good and bad news as soon as it happens is awesome. We used to have to wait until the news came on the radio or wait to read the paper... I still love my daily newspaper dropped on my driveway daily but I know so many that get their news from the computer and I know my paper is on the internet but I like the feel and smell of paper....
1 person likes this
@just4him (303392)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
11 Jun 17
I have a feeling with President Trump on Twitter, it won't be a problem for long.
2 people like this
@just4him (303392)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
25 Jun 17
@Lupita234 I hope not. There's too many now.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
18 Jun 17
Back when Facebook was only for college students, I took a look to see what it was all about and there was nothing that looked interesting to me. So then I forgot about it for years! I'm not sure how long I've been there but there are days when I love it and other days when I hate it! I think everything on the internet is like that for most of us! lol
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Jun 17
You know what's really funny? Ever since I wrote the post, I've been spending a lot of time on Facebook! I have two good friends who are visiting New York City for the first time (both from overseas), so through FB I've been keeping in contact with them and helping them navigate the streets of NYC!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Jun 17
@CRK109 That is wonderful that you met a friend whom you speak with every day. I love the fact that we can meet people from all over the world with such great east, and communicate with them like they were sitting right across from us in a room. It sure helps to break down global barriers, as well as cultural, religious and governmental barriers!
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14558)
• United States
19 Jun 17
@moffittjc That's pretty cool, Jeff! It really is a wonderful way to keep in touch with people who don't live near us. I have a best friend out in Seattle. We've never met in person but we touch base every single day. We didn't originally meet on Facebook but we ended up there!
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (67002)
• United States
11 Jun 17
Well i think you had the right idea. Lol
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Jun 17
I did have the right idea, I just never knew it was going to kick off a firestorm. But in a way, it was good to pave the way for others, because now every government agency has a Facebook presence.
1 person likes this
27 Jun 17
I actually joined FB very early because someone told me i could find a page dedicated to my favorite college professor there.... So I joined. Then I never used it. Deleted it. Joined Myspace.... Then rejoined FB in 2008. :-)
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
28 Jun 17
Although I personally joined several years after it had been around, I created a Facebook page at work very early on when barely anybody had heard of Facebook. I manage about 100 college students who work for me as lifeguards and camp counselors, and so I found early on that Facebook was the quickest, easiest way to communicate with all of them.
1 person likes this
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Jul 17
Those Sunshine laws are a good thing and cut down on corruption.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
9 Jul 17
There are always loopholes and ways around the Sunshine Laws. It's not that hard. Most government employees are good, honest and ethical workers though, so it's not like it's abused. Well, except for the very politicians it was meant to control! haha
1 person likes this
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Jul 17
@moffittjc Always!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (39965)
• Laguna Woods, California
13 Jun 17
You are so right that the government is always behind in technology. My husband is a financial advisor. He recently had to do some continuing education and was supposed to send his certificate to FINRA. He called and asked if he could scan it in and email it to them. They told him he had to mail it or FAX it because they were not set up to get a scanned document. This is a federal agency! He could not believe they were years behind in technology!
• Laguna Woods, California
25 Jun 17
@Lupita234 - Yes, it is crazy how much they spend on technology and they are still so far behind!
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jun 17
I guess it's good that the whole issue was taken so seriously although it does seem laughable now.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (323672)
• Rockingham, Australia
26 Jun 17
@Lupita234 They do don't they? I guess they mean well.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116876)
• Anniston, Alabama
20 Jun 17
I was very late, I am thinking about 2010 is when I got mine and that was when you could get coupons that business offered. I am not into face time much anymore, I reckon its cause I dont like arguing about nothing that does not matter anyways.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
20 Jun 17
For the longest time, my girlfriend and I used FaceTime all the time, but now we don't use it so much anymore. I still use it every now and then with my kids, but other than that no so much anymore.
@FayeHazel (40250)
• United States
14 Aug 17
Oh wow, it does seem like it would be a funny thing for Facebook to be such a big deal. I joined in 07 I think it was, and at the time I really didn't "get" the hype
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118219)
• Gainesville, Florida
18 Aug 17
I don't get the hype over any social media site. People act like we've never had technology before! haha