It’s the dream of young lads growing up all across the world – to one day get signed for top Spanish club Barcelona. But years of practise and dreamed for opportunity can be shattered in a heartbeat in the world of social media.
According to Marca , the Spanish national daily sport newspaper Yesterday afternoon (29th December 2014) 24-year-old Sergi Guardiola signed for Spanish Club Barcelona – but by last night his official contract was cancelled. Why you ask?… Well it appears that club officials at Barcelona were alerted to offensive tweets he had posted two years ago about Barca and Catalonia. As we all now know, posting on social media platform pushes your account of yourself and your views into the public domain and is open to public criticism. In this case FC Barcelona had no choice but to protect the club Reputation.
Now in my talks in Schools the main message is that you should never post anything on social media that you would not want to come back to haunt you – it appears Sergi Guardiola did just that back in 2013. According to a statement on the FC Barcelona website ‘FC Barcelona has decided to terminate the contract signed with Sergi Guardiola after finding that he had published offensive tweets about the club and Catalonia’.
Here are a couple of handy tips which you need to keep in mind when using Social Media in order to protect and manage your Online Reputation:
1: Think twice before you post and share anything online.
2: Don’t get caught up with posting mean or inappropriate comments – even if you see others doing it.
3: Remember Social Media platforms by their nature are public spaces – ensure nothing comes back to haunt you.
4: Give a good account of yourself online. Remember it’s not just top Spanish Football Clubs who use Social Media – 93% of recruiters admit to using Social Media to screen applicants for job opportunities. So carry out a regular audit on your digital tattoo and be aware of any information you might have posted in the past.
5: Generate Positive Content – This is by far the best way to help protect and enhance your Online Reputation. With the massive jump in employers and recruiters using Social Media to vet you, the best way you can stand out in the crowd for the right reasons or get head hunted is to have lots of positive content online.
This is a prime example of organisations and businesses, and Barcelona Club is no exception, protecting their own Reputation first and foremost. It’s up to you to look after yours.
Posted By Wayne Denner
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