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My work says Twitter mandatory - would this bother you?

AreaCode707

AreaCode707

Lifer
Our CEO has had an active "follow me!" campaign for a few weeks. That moved to my manager sending, "hey everybody, if you don't follow the CEO you should think about it!" emails. That narrowed to, "hey AC707, are you following the CEO?"

I confessed that I do not have a Twitter account because I like keeping my online social media separated between personal and professional, use LinkedIn, RSS feeds, blogs and an internal social media tool for most of my business media, and because in my personal experience I find Twitter to be information overload. I said I would really prefer not to open a Twitter account but if this was going to show up on my performance review as an issue I'd acquiesce.

She responded by telling me she's thinking about giving me a "mandatory trial period" under a particular category on the performance review (a category that is usually an "special projects" type category.)

I'm inexplicably cranky about being told Twitter is mandatory, even though I know I could just create a fake email, set up an account and proceed to ignore it if I wanted to. I feel like this is crossing a border between work and personal that I'm uncomfortable with.

What do you guys think? Company should be able to demand I create a Twitter account and dictate who I follow? (Note that there isn't a "recommended follow" list other than our CEO, they just think I should have a Twitter account.)

[Update]
Ok, this wound up being a shorter thread and less of a big deal than I was concerned about.
AreaCode707 said:
MotF Bane said:
Do you have an HR department?
Click to expand...

Yep, and I think they just worked their magic. When the pressure started to mount on Twitter a few days ago, I emailed them asking whether this was considered to be part of my job duties. I pinged them a reminder today and they said they'd look into it.

Just got an IM from my boss saying I do not have to create/use Twitter after all if I don't want to. 😀 Not sure if HR talked to her or she figured out how truly reluctant I am about it, but it's a load off my mind!
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Well could make something named "<insert company name> <your name> professional account" account.
But yeah would be kind of pissed about that.
 
Does twitter have the same rule denying you from using it if you are a registered sex offender like facebook has?

If so simply state that as why you can't use it. 😛
 
Sure they can demand it, just do it on their time. I'd do it if they told me to and make fun of it with co-workers and online, like you're doing. So you've got half the puzzle already complete, the rest is to follow your idiot CEO on Twitter.
 
So they would like you to open a twitter acct, follow the ceo, and never use it, thus defeating the purpose...so he can have more followers? Is that it? Open one with stupid name, put the most NSFW picture you can up as the logo for it and background image and never touch it again.
 
This sounds suspiciously like a way to get higher on google. Does twitter follows affect how high on google you get?
 
Depends on the company, but most companies that do that don't seem like they care that you actually follow them with a real account, just that the number of followers goes higher no matter the quality of the followers.

So, mandating that your personal or professional account follow the CEO is a bit uncomfortable and would be bothersome. But asking all employees to make one fake twitter account to boost some fake numbers in order to save a lowly employee the task of making hundreds of fake accounts anyway doesn't seem as big of a deal.

At least that's been my experience of what they're asking as opposed to trying to cross some privacy line.
 
Tell them to go pound sand, there is no reason for them to demand you be a sheep on twitter.
The fact that they would want to put something like that on a performance review is equally absurd.
If it were me in your place I would tell them both things and possibly start putting out the resumes.
 
I think we need to know what type of company you work for that requires this... and what you do for this company?
 
So you are being told to dick around on twitter during company time? Shit, better than having to do work. Fire up the tweet machine my man!
 
Sounds like your CEO wants to use Twitter as the tool of choice to tweet to/with his/her twits. I understand the reluctance to follow like sheep and use a tool you don't want, but at work it's not unreasonable to ask that you use a specific tool in a specific manner, and you don't have to use it outside work.
 
Madwand1 said:
Sounds like your CEO wants to use Twitter as the tool of choice to tweet to/with his/her twits. I understand the reluctance to follow like sheep and use a tool you don't want, but at work it's not unreasonable to ask that you use a specific tool in a specific manner, and you don't have to use it outside work.
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If that's what they were actually doing I'd agree with you, but this stanks of "CEO wants to go to conferences and say he has 10000 twitter followers." My company actually started pushing the "follow us on twitter, like us on facebook" bs about a year ago, but it never got beyond the relatively sensible point of "it'd be totally sweet if you did."

I just wouldn't do it, and if they tried to punish me for it I'd be looking for another job. I wouldn't quit directly, but I'd be searching.
 
AreaCode707 said:
I think you're missing my point that I like to keep my personal and professional lives separate online. 🙂
Click to expand...

I don't see the connection. If it's a work requirement, it's a work requirement. Set up the fake email addy, and get back to work. :shrug:
 
Capt Caveman said:
Link your twitter account to your work email address and only use it for work, what's the problem?
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Yeah, like I said in my OP it's entirely possible to do this and basically ignore it but their insistence that they have the right to control my social media use makes me uncomfortable.
 
AreaCode707 said:
Yeah, like I said in my OP it's entirely possible to do this and basically ignore it but their insistence that they have the right to control my social media use makes me uncomfortable.
Click to expand...

Are you sure they are not talking about what you do during work?
 
I'd be pissed if I was required to use my personal account. However if they allowed you to create a new account and use your work e-mail, I don't see the issue.

They obviously want the employees to use their personal account because they likely have followers involved, thus more advertising. But that isn't reasonable.
 
Very weird. I'd be very uncomfortable with that request as well; it's nearly as bad as that other thread where the person's wife faced a demand to add them on Facebook. But as long as they're fine with you putting in as much effort as creating a Twitter account under a handle you'd never actually use, following a few random people and the CEO and then letting it wither away, I guess it's not a problem.

Still, rather worrying. Like others I like to think I'd say, "shove it!" and refuse the request, but it's really not that simple when faced with it in reality.
 
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