When our children were little, the words, "Oh be careful little tongue what you say..." were a part of a children's song we taught them. We'd sing the song over and over and talk about being careful what you say about others.
The words came to mind this morning when I jumped on my computer and saw the story about Lori and Sarah Drew. You may remember them as the mother and daughter team who drove a 13 year old girl to commit suicide in her bedroom after sending her a message through MySpace that said the world would be a better place without girls like her. Click here to see a pic of the mother and daughter.
Now, this post isn't to judge these two in regards to their actions that day, although I will admit that what they did was wrong in so many ways (in my opinion).
What I see here is a lesson for all of us. When you are self-employed, as the mother was (and I suppose, still is), you have to bring an extra measure of level headedness and control to your daily life. What you say in person or on line can have significant ramifications. Am I saying you have to be censored...to give up your freedom of speech in order to be a successful real estate professional? Nope. If you want to say something, by all means get out there and say it! But, if you are smart, you will use self-censorship in large portions on a regular basis.
Why? Because look what happened to this lady...no that isn't right...this woman, in this situation. According to the article in the New York Times, her cell phone number popped up in blogs across the Internet. Then she started getting hateful phone calls. Supposedly someone hacked into her cell phone account and changed her greeting to something that wasn't very nice. Further ramifications included the companies that her business worked with getting targeted. The article doesn't say what happened to her business, but I'm willing to bet it took a serious hit.
Being only a Sophomore in the world of Real Estate, I am reminded how important it is to behave yourself out there in the big world. Be careful what you say, both on the job and in private. Especially in the blogosphere and on social networking sites. And if you're ever tempted to do something like Lori and Sarah Drew did, remember that we're the adults here. It is our job to teach the kids by our example - especially the impressionable 13 year old teens who have so much access to the adult world and so little experience in dealing with what they find there.
It wil be interesting to see what the punishment ends up being in this case. The mother could face prison and a hefty fine. And the daughter? I don't guess she's facing any charges, but I'll bet her dating life is...interesting! And how about the mom of the 13 year old who killed herself? She can sue this mom and daughter and make their lives a living hell for a long time to come. Talk about giving someone control over your life??? Wow!
Have a great Black Friday and watch that tongue. It can be a crafty little beast! Make it say something nice to someone today.
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