rachel.blog

Be careful what you say

A couple of times recently I’ve replied to a Twitter direct message on my iPhone expecting my reply to also be a direct message only to be horrified to see my message become a Tweet on my public profile. At first I thought maybe I had done something wrong so I tested it out today. A friend sent me a direct message. The notification appeared on my iPhone and I had the option to reply to it which I did. But my reply was not sent as a direct message; it was sent as a Tweet to no-one in particular.

This is potentially quite dangerous. What if I’d said “John Doe is a poopyhead” or something like that, thinking it was going to be a private message when in actual fact it was added to my public profile. What if John Doe saw my Tweet and sued me for £6000? Sound unlikely? A number of Tweeps are being sued for calling someone antisemitic. Be careful what you say.

Next time I want to call John Doe a poopyhead I’ll just whisper it under my breath in my office 🙂

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Rachel M

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Comments

18 responses to “Be careful what you say”

  1. PedalWORKS Avatar
    PedalWORKS

    Yikes! A litigator once said to me never, ever say anything on-line (email, social media platforms) you wouldn’t say publicly. It could haunt you for the rest of your life.

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      That’s very good advice.

      Reply
  2. indianmacgyver Avatar
    indianmacgyver

    saw this story today, http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/chi-curt-schilling-twitter-20150304-story.html a couple of people have been fired for their tweets. though these tweets weren’t by accident.

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      Wow! Thanks for sharing. Some of the stuff people put on Twitter is really appalling and so it’s good to see something like this. Although I wouldn’t wish anyone to lose their job, I think people should be more thoughtful about what they say.

      Reply
  3. uknowispeaksense Avatar
    uknowispeaksense

    Rachel you can not be sued for defamation if what you say is factually correct and in the public interest. Now, I have met John Doe and I can reliably inform you that he is in fact a poopyhead and as a member of the public I found that a little bit interesting. I’ve never had the issue you mentioned though. I have often wondered if I can sue anybody if they say nasty things about “uknowispeaksense”?

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      Haha, funny 🙂

      Reply
    2. guthrie Avatar
      guthrie

      Actually I’m pretty sure you can be sued, but when it gets to court the fact that you told the truth is a good defense and their legal assault on you will generally stop there, but not after you’ve had to get a lawyer and been horribly stressed.

      Reply
  4. Chait Avatar
    Chait

    This continues to remain challenge esp for non native speakers like me. A few times best of my intentions were misunderstood because I used wrong or strong words. But anyway that does not stop me from speaking up although I will think a bit more time before I let the words out 🙂

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      I’m glad it hasn’t stopped you from speaking up. Let those words out!

      Reply
  5. Chait Avatar
    Chait

    This continues to remain *as* a challenge esp…

    And I edit quite often 🙂

    Reply
  6. anniegoldfisher Avatar
    anniegoldfisher

    When I start tweeting, I’ll remember your advice.

    However, I have it on good authority that calling someone a poopyhead isn’t as bad as saying someone is a stupid bum. Take this as a warning that if you call John Doe a stupid bum, he’ll take you to the cleaners. No kidding!

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      Oh you are so right! I’ll definitely remember never to call anyone a stupid bum. I definitely don’t want to be taken to the cleaners.

      Reply
  7. Sherri Avatar
    Sherri

    I’m not on Twitter, but if/when I am, I am duly warned!

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      Twitter is quite a good way to share posts as you can share posts to a wider audience than just the people who follow you. But yes, it’s also easy to say things you shouldn’t.

      Reply
  8. John Doe Avatar
    John Doe

    How dare you suggest I may be a poopyhead!

    I’m consulting my lawyer.

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      I don’t think you’re really John Doe 🙂

      Reply
  9. Graham With Hats Avatar
    Graham With Hats

    Jane Doe is now suing you for excluding her from the the poopyhead franchise. 🙂

    Reply
    1. Rachel M Avatar
      Rachel M

      Oh dear, this post is going to be the end of me 🙂

      Reply

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