Ugh. I'm not sure schools should be caring what goes on outside their grounds, especially when it comes to "cyber bullying." I don't think, in the end, it all really matters when it comes to kids.

The workplace is just a bit different, because there is a need for good relationships (or at least not negative ones) so that all the people can work together (to some degree) to do great things.

This contrasts with school where no one is really there to improve school image or make it more successful. They're there to get grades, learn things, and that doesn't necessarily require some maintained level of relationship with peers.

Employers should really draw the lines back quite a ways when it comes to such postings. Kinda like a few buds from work getting together for an informal, non-work picnic, sometimes some things that occur or happen may not be something a company wants to be a part of, but they don't go clamping down and racing in with the ethics police. Issues should be very limited to cases of harassment (when reported) or disclosure of sensitive information. Employees should be encouraged to NOT divulge their employer on any websites, but I can't say that should be a hardfast rule.

For instance, if I join Suicide Girls (not work safe if you google it) and a few people at work know that I am a member, that really doesn't matter and shouldn't matter. A company shouldn't be scared of the individualism of its employees that it hires. The grey area comes when I advertise I am an employee of such-and-such and start saying libelous things or creating a negative work environment, but those two cases should be covered in harassment and sensitive disclosure up above.

LonerVamp, thanks for your thoughtful and thought-provoking comments.

School districts are, and always have been, potential minefields for conflicting viewpoints and initiatives. I learned a lot growing up watching my father, who was a public school disctrict superintendent, deal with parents, school boards, teachers, students and special interest groups who have very diverse ideas about the activities that should be supported, the monitoring that should be done, the subjects that should be taught, the books that should be made available or censored, etc.

I agree, employer issues are much different. The lines of what is acceptable versus what is out of bounds with regard to how much overight and authority employers have over employee activities really have become quite fuzzy in the past decade as businesses have become so highly dependent upon the Internet and have provided extensive access to it from their corporate networks.

I agree clear lines need to be drawn by employers, but I really don't see that happening in practice. It seems many decisions made about employee activities are being made from the hip in an ad hoc manner.

I see an increasing trend; the more ways in which people can use new Internet tools and technologies, the more companies are finding new ways of monitoring employee actions and the more they are applying sanctions for employee activities that may, or may not, be directly related to the employer.