Confusion is the welcome mat at the door of creativity

Michael Gelb

See more at http://michaelgelb.com/

“The palliative consolation of a thousand Facebook friends is no panacea to the soul that craves for a single one before which the heart can openly reveal herself. The surfer of profiles and chronic poster on the walls of acquaintances is like an orphan drifting through Dickensian streets, pressing his nose against the windows of pastry shops and staring dreamily at families around the Christmas table. The imaginary delights of the feast might temporarily distract him from his hunger, but it will do nothing to stave off the doom of malnutrition.

“Indeed, all the electronic placebos for real human relationships present a genuine danger to the life of the soul.

“The constant babble and twitter of vacuous words not only prevents the formation of real relationships, it also chokes out solitude, which though closely akin to loneliness, is almost its opposite. Without solitude the soul cannot enter into intimacy with herself or with God.

“Thus, the person is reduced to a shallow imitation of himself and really is brought to the point where he has little more of substance to say than ‘’sup? I M :) 2day.’”

Melinda Selmy

Employer Uses Facebook To Snag 'Sick' Worker

Posted by Gayle Kesten Tuesday, Apr 28, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

I realize I'm preaching to the choir when I say social networks represent an easy, cost-effective way to market your small business and connect with current and potential customers,
colleagues, partners, etc.

They're even a worthy source for screening potential employees. (Read my September post, "How Social Networks Can Stop You From Making A Bad Hire" for more on that.) But how about checking on employees who call in sick to work?

Reuters reports that a woman took a day off from her job as Nationale Suisse -- she said she couldn't work in front of a computer and needed to be in the dark (migraine?) -- then was seen online making the Facebook rounds. Long story short, she lost her job, though, according to CNET (which kindly translated the following), she told Swiss daily newspaper 20 Minuten that her trust in the company was gone and she wouldn't have returned to her job anyway.

The now ex-employee did accuse her employer of spying, but says she's not pursuing a lawsuit. And as with most situations in life, I can't help but think there are a few more sides to the story, one likely including a suspicious pattern of, cough, cough, staying home sick a few times too many.

Then again, you could argue that no matter what, Nationale Suisse crossed the line. What do you think? Is there a bigger privacy issue?

On a related note, a CNET video called "Don't Let Facebook Get You Fired," is worth a watch -- though not on company time.

The majority of individuals view their surroundings with a minimal amount of observational effort. They are unaware of the rich tapestry of details that surrounds
them, such as the subtle movement of a person's hand or foot that might betray his thoughts or intentions.

Joe Navarro, Former FBI agent and expert on nonverbal language