This article on Forbes talks about the Fitbit. Fitbit has a gadget that tracks calories burned, plus a social component that allows you to categorize your activity. Sounds great, right? You can not only brag to your network about how fit you are, but you can include whether you were hiking, biking, or even whether you were burning a few extra calories between the sheets.
That’s right, one of the categories for exercise included sexual activity. Edgy, but perhaps a fun risque thing to share with you close network of friends. And then…
Aww, never mind. You can see it coming a mile away. Google started indexing the search results. And people started noticing.
Predictably, the whole thing was shut down rather quickly. Kudos to the Fitbit network managers who reacted quickly to the issue.
The big takeaway for our users is simply to always remember that the Internet is forever. Use your social media outlets well to market your business; but know that the privacy of your fans, customers, clients, and partners is critical. Before you post, always ask yourself if the people involved are going to be comfortable with this kind of information on the internet.
For those of us that are subject to HIPAA, the rules are very clear. It’s never a bad idea to refresh that HIPAA training occasionally just to make sure we understand them well.
For all of us, if you’re ever not quite sure of what to post, try this mantra:
“When in doubt, leave it out.”
