Response to " E-Professionalism
As an avid Facebook user, I do frequently consider the interaction between my professional and social life when I am posting and be-friending. However I have never stopped to think through this situation in detail and therefore found it very helpful to read through Joke Bradt’s explanation of her perspective. It is important to be reminded of the obvious, because what is abundantly clear in the light of day is not always in the front of my mind during the moments that I choose to see what’s been going on online – often late at night when my mind is not working so well and I can no longer focus on working efficiently.
As Joke intimates from her own experience, there are many positive aspects to having this forum for overlapping personal and professional worlds. International colleagues sometimes delight in having access to family photos, and the opportunity to share these significant parts of one’s life (as woman, mother, friend and more) is often deeply satisfying. Nonetheless, the significant differences in culture, gender, age and background that define us do impact on how this information may be understood by others. I cannot help but think that the research being quoted may be making an overly-simplistic interpretation of how well different kinds of behaviours are received (or perhaps their sample had some serious limitations), and I am surprised by the suggestion that all Facebook users would be more impressed by socially acceptable rather than socially risqué behaviour. As an adolescent specialist, I can only assume that descriptions of what some might call moderate deviance could be extremely well received within some peer group memberships, whilst reducing personal appeal in others. This is exactly the challenge we are faced with from social networking sites – the high level of diversity. It is also the most attractive feature to me.
On another note, it has been challenging for me to receive offers of friendship from ex-clients who have found me on Facebook. I have often used emailing as a way of being in touch with adolescent clients, and therefore I am in some of their address books. In comparison to the Blog descriptions from Joke’s articles, I often think that they might not have thought through their decision to befriend me. In my first weeks on Facebook I received a number of such invitations, and found it impossible to ignore them without feeling that it would be interpreted as rejection. I then ceased using Facebook because I was unable to integrate these two aspects of my life. After some time, I discovered that people were not notified when you block them and cease friendships, so I skillfully removed a number of ex-clients. However, I did retain one ex-client, from five years previously, who had since invited me to attend a number of significant moments in her life. In contemplating this decision, I felt that she was comparable with many of the professional colleagues I had now become friends with – friendships which meant that I did not plan on making any inappropriate comments. Obviously this is a crossing of traditional boundaries, but perhaps it is irrelevant to use such traditional standards in relation to an extremely contemporary genre. It underpins the importance of having exactly this kind of moderated discussion so that we have the chance to be reflexive. It strikes me that these are the same kinds of dilemmas resulting from the Community Music Therapy discourse – which is also related to expanding traditional boundaries.
Finally, as an educator, I have also received a number of friendship invitations from students, mostly non-music therapy students involved in my large Music Psychology and Music & Health classes. Because of my previous experience with clients, I was prepared for this and have developed a strategy of rejecting the offer, with a simple note saying that I would find it hypocritical to accept given that I will be marking their assignments and making judgements on their work in the near future, which is quite distinct from my interpretation of friendship. I have noted this decision in some large classes, when I have had a flurry of invites after making a reference to Facebook in lectures, and I have never received any negative responses to this decision.
Thanks again Joke – I think this is a discussion we really need to have, and I hope others do too.
About Katrina McFerran
Biography
KATRINA McFERRAN, is Associate Professor and Head of Music Therapy at the University of Melbourne in Australia and Co-Director of the National Music Therapy Research Unit with A/Prof Felicity Baker. Katrina specialises in supporting young people to develop healthy relationships with music that promote personal growth and increased connectedness. She has been involved in a vast range of mutually empowering relationships with teenagers and children in hospitals, schools and community programs. Katrina has used music to support people as they cope with grief and loss, illness, disability and a range of challenges both at school and at home. Her work is currently focused on building strong music cultures in schools that promote connectedness and wellbeing between students, teachers and systems. This is supported by the MusicMatters Initiative, of which she is Co-Director with fellow music therapists Kate Teggelove and Lucy Bolger. http://www.musicmattersinschools.com.au/
Dr McFerran has published her research in international and interdisciplinary refereed journals and has contributed numerous case studies and practice reflections to edited books, as well as sole authoring her first text on ‘Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy in 2010 (Jessica Kingsley Publishers). Her research is essentially reflexive, frequently using qualitative methodologies to explore the unique experiences of young people in music therapy or to investigate patterns in the ways that music is appropriated for health. Dr McFerran has also contributed to a number of studies using quantitative methodologies that provide evidence for the benefits of music therapy. She coordinates three university-wide subjects that explore the affordances of music for health and wellbeing from different paradigms – Music Psychology, Music & Health and Music & Spirituality.
E-Professionalism is extremely important in today’s society, particularly to the current generation of college students. When she composed her article on E-Professionalism in January 2010, Dr. Bradt noted that she is one of 350 million Facebook users. Now just eleven months later, that number has increased to over 500 million. Facebook is at the forefront of a massive culture shift that has literally changed the lives of people across the world. As Armistead Grandstaff and others have responded, Facebook has both positive and negative effects on the lives of its users. That being said, I think we should take heed to the precautions offered by Dr. Bradt and others in our cyber-conduct.
Armistead referenced an occasion in which his friend’s online comments resulted in turmoil in the workplace. I also have a friend who was recently fired from his job because of an inappropriate comment he made on Facebook. I have to admit this seemed a little drastic when my friend first told me about the ordeal, but our conversation was followed only a few days later by a new corporate-wide policy released in my workplace, outlining specific actions that are not to be taken regarding online referencing of the company in association to its employees’ personal lives (i.e. we are not allowed to list this company as our “employer” on social networking sites such as Facebook). This is clearly a much more serious issue than even I predicted it would become when I joined the social networking culture four years ago.
As part of a city-wide internship program in which I participated this past summer, I attended several workshops on resume-building, professionalism, and workplace etiquette. I was not surprised to find that every one of these workshops included a warning to the 50 or more college students in attendance to carefully manage our Facebook settings and content. We were told that nearly all business employers now search Facebook and Google when screening applicants for new positions. This presents even more intense reasons for college students who will soon be entering the work field to take care presenting ourselves in a positive light online.
In Katrina McFerran’s response, she noted that she does not “friend” her students on Facebook because she would have difficulty separating her evaluation of them in the classroom from her thoughts of them in the personal realm of social networking. While I respect her point of view, I take a different stance on this. I am friends with several of my music therapy professors on Facebook, as well as a member of the Facebook group for music therapists in my state. Although I must admit that I never expected to dialogue with my post-secondary educators such an informal way, in my experience the teacher-student relationship that I have with my professors is not compromised by our friendship on Facebook. All in all, I have noticed a significant shift in the teacher-student relational paradigm, even in my own college years. When I began my freshman year of college in 2004, I would never have expected professors to list their cell phone numbers on the syllabus. Today nearly all of my professors list their cell phone numbers on the syllabus, and one teacher even suggested at the beginning of the semester that we text her if we are going to be late to class! This type of informal communication is becoming common practice, and while I can see the potential danger in the cultivation of inappropriate relationships between teachers and students, I think that if we strive to maintain integrity and appropriateness in these relationships, they can do no harm. Perhaps on the contrary, professors may find in the future that they can contribute to even healthier professional development as each of their pupils makes the transition from student to colleague.
What a wonderful discussion on such a popular topic! Thanks for sharing your insights, some of which I never thought about. I have recently made changes to my public profile on Facebook to be sure my personal information stays personal to those I don't know. I avoid "friending" my clients or their parents, but what I do is have a page for my business. It's called Music Therapy Rocks & I have limited personal information there. It is a great way to stay connected with your clients and their parents without crossing professional boundaries.
I find Facebook both useful and fun, yet often irritating and unsettling. This is similar to what Joke Bradt said in “E-Professionalism” and John Lawrence and Katrina McFerran also expressed in responses to that column. On the one hand, I think a legitimate need exists for online networking sites such as Facebook, as the occurrence of local communities dissolve and global, industrial communities take over. This sounds a bit harsh, however, there are some positives outcomes, as Joke, John, and Katrina have mentioned. As music therapists, we know more than others the human need for self-expression. While Facebook users may seem trivial in their endeavors with self-expression, it nevertheless provides a immediate and user-friendly platform for these pursuits. As an undergraduate music therapy student about to finish classes, begin an internship and start looking for work, I place tremendous value on any tool that helps me network with other professionals. Facebook serves as one of many options for this. Perhaps most significant is the overall increase in accountability online networkers have with people they know and don't know. People may communicate more honestly, as it seems easier to tell someone one's exact thoughts without them staring back at you.
My personal history with Facebook began when a college professor invited our class, which was small, to communicate assignments through Facebook. The professor's rationale for using Facebook was the fact that most students now communicate this way more frequently than email. I didn't object, although I felt somewhat reluctant. I knew that no matter how “secure” my settings were, a loss of privacy would ensue. Now that I have become more involved with Facebook, I've included among other things pictures of friends, family, and non-academic interests. But will my professors, who are also my Facebook friends, look at these pictures and wonder if I ever study? Or will they celebrate the fact that I study quite a bit but also try to strike a balance between studying and other aspects of life?
The lack of professionalism and problems of misunderstanding already discussed seem to be serious indeed. For example, a friend's Facebook comments regarding his disagreements with certain decisions made in his office resulted in an immediate demotion and pressure to find a new job. Another friend started an online argument with a pastor of a church and hasn't felt welcome in that church since, especially since this pastor called him and threatened him and his family. A different friend enjoys posting political opinions which, although controversial to some, often inspire thought-provoking feedback. For many who disagree with him, his comments elicit resentment, especially considering the fact that he is in a position of leadership. One mutual friend responded to me in private, “His comments are mean-spirited and stupid!”
Facebook, perhaps as it is a new way to explore the past and make new connections in the present, seems like an online, tamer version of a Spaghetti Western. Everyone can carry a “gun” and say whatever they want to say to an audience. The consequences for impulsivity, however, which most people seem vulnerable to at some level, can lead to one's ending up with a “record.” I have heard one employer state quite clearly that part of a background check would include looking at a student's Facebook profile. While I find this kind of discrimination unfair and unsettling, we may find more and more employers moving in this direction.
It seems from the previous responses that Facebook users can use this service effectively and responsibly. Katrina gave an important challenge for those using Facebook profiles for the purpose of making character assessments on others. She challenges such users to consider the differences across culture, gender, age, and background when determining the social appropriateness of online behavior. This seems equally important as the challenge to behave responsibly online, considering others' judgments of what we post. John Lawrence's suggestion to “control content” by dividing an online profile into two accounts, one personal and the other professional, would perhaps be a step in the right direction. Many friends now encourage me to use LinkedIn for professional networking rather than Facebook. After reading this article and its responses, I will at the very least take extra care in participating on Facebook with thoughtfulness and respect for others.
I wanted to add a further comment to my earlier response. I would also encourage individuals to make use of "read" or "delivery" receipts for e-mail messages. This suggestion comes from personal experience.
How many times have you sent an e-mail to a colleague or to a member of the public who has questions concerning music therapy and wondered, "Did they get my message?". In some cases, you might wonder if your message was received after a couple of hours. In other cases, it might be days or weeks before you receive confirmation that the message that you poured your heart and soul into was received. By using the "delivery" receipt utility, you can be assured that your message did not end up somewhere in the digital universe. It also indicates a further element of e-professionalism; that you care enough about the information and messages that you provide and wish to ensure that they have been delivered to the right individual and/or organization. Granted, not everyone will choose to "send" a "read" or "delivery" receipt, but for those of us who do, it can provide a small measure of comfort.
E-professionalism is a topic that I have personally thought a lot about as I have a Facebook account, a Twitter account and hope to soon be resurrecting my blog - MusicTherapy365. I am also involved in e-learning and creating course content for online courses related to music therapy. I congratulate the author of this discussion for raising some very valid concerns, especially with regards to the type of posts that individuals are making. According to recent research that I read on e-learning, over fifty percent of employers and at least thirty percent of post-secondary institutions of learning are performing background checks on potential applicants. While students of the "digital generation" may be technologically savvy, they may not be "ethically" or "future-aware" of the implications of utilizing technologies such as "texting" and social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter. Indeed, once something has been placed into the public realm via the internet, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to retract that information.
Here are some additional tips that I have found related to the fostering of a e-professionalism.
I will finish by saying that there are also issues that we must face on an institutional/association level. Our Codes of Ethics and Standards of Professional Practice are outdated when it comes to the internet and digital information in general. Before we leap into e-learning and the use of resources such as blogs, podcasts and videoconferencing, we must examine and explore the implications of doing so. By doing so, we can avoid some of the pitfalls that may arise and utilize the tremendous resource that the internet and the "digital domain" represents in the best possible manner.